Angel Reese, Basketball Champ, Wows in New 'SI Swim' Photos

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit just revealed NCAA women's basketball champion Angel Reese as one of the stars of its upcoming 2023 issue.

Reese led the Louisiana State University Lady Tigers to the program's first-ever NCAA women's basketball championship back in April, even being crowned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. It was the picture-perfect end to a dynamite season for Reese, The "Bayou Barbie" averaged 23.0 points and 15.4 rebounds per game for LSU, and broke the NCAA double-doubles record for a single season. 

In the interview with SI Swim, Reese reflected on how her mother let her set her own path in life, a hands-off approach that would eventually lead her to basketball fame.

“She let me do whatever. I ran track; I did volleyball; I did a little bit of swimming, gymnastics and cheer,” Reese said. “She never put it on me that I had to play basketball because she did, so she let me experience and do whatever I wanted to do. I just finally decided basketball was going to be my thing. I was kind of good at it, and I was really competitive.”

She also discussed her viral "you can't see me" moment against rival Caitlin Clark. 

“Caitlin and I are cool,” Reese told the magazine. “It’s just being able to force people to accept that women can talk trash. The women’s side gets penalized for it or we’re considered as not being ladylike and that we’re not playing by the rules. We work just as hard as the men. Women can be who we are; women can be competitive.”

Reese joins other 2023 stars including gymnast Olivia Dunne, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, and more. She linked up with photographer Yu Tsai for a photo shoot in Los Angeles.

Check out Reese's full photo spread on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.