WNBA stars posed for Sports Illustrated's iconic Swimsuit Issue as the brand champions pay equity efforts

• Five WNBA players were featured in Sports Illustrated's iconic Swimsuit Issue this year.
• Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Te'a Cooper, Nneka Ogwumike, and DiDi Richards posed in the US Virgin Islands.

Five WNBA stars — Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Te'a Cooper, Nneka Ogwumike, and DiDi Richards — posed for photographer Laretta Houston in St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands, as part of Sports Illustrated's 2022 Swimsuit Issue. For Bird, a 20-year veteran of the WNBA and a league legend, the players' involvement represents an opportunity to "showcase [the] evolution" of SI's Swimsuit Issue.

"We represent a variety of things: of course women, women of color, members of the LGBTQIA2+ community and much more," Bird told Sports Illustrated's Dorothy J. Gentry. "The [Swimsuit] issue for so many years has been iconic and has represented a lot for women. Now you are seeing an evolution in what that can mean and what that can look like, and I think the WNBA players being a part of that is what makes it special."

And according to MJ Day, the Editor-in-Chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, the brand "couldn't be more thrilled to have such a badass group of women come together for this specific issue."

"These players not only dominate on the court but are tirelessly leading the charge in speaking out on social justice issues — fighting for racial justice and equality and working together to create sustainable change," Day said in a statement. "Their participation in this year's issue couldn't come at a better time with the launch of Pay With Change and the work that we are doing to evolve and grow our brand."

In January of this year, Sports Illustrated announced its "Pay With Change" gender equity advertising initiative surrounding its famed Swimsuit Issue. As part of the effort, Sports Illustrated will only allow brands with "demonstrated programs to advance gender equality" to advertise on the Swimsuit platform.

Companies that fit the bill will create ads for the campaign that showcase their gender equity efforts. And Sports Illustrated has committed to contributing a percent of every advertising dollar to its Gender Equity Fund supporting nonprofits in the women's empowerment space.

The WNBA players — who have "always been at the forefront of social issues," Stewart told Gentry — perfectly embody the ideals of the new-look Swimsuit Issue.

"It's all so amazing to see and understand we are living in history," Ogwumike, the Los Angeles Sparks superstar and WNBA Players Association president, added. "I love the differences we celebrate and moving them forward."

The 2022 WNBA regular season tipped off Friday, and fans can watch Bird, Stewart, Ogwumike, and Richards play into August. Cooper, who previously Ogwumike's teammate on the Sparks, was waived by the team ahead of the regular season.