Angel Reese, Livvy Dunne drop jaws as Hailey Van Lith sizzles in new swimsuit cover

TCU star Hailey Van Lith stuns in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut and receives hype from Angel Reese and Livvy Dunne.

Angel Reese, Livvy Dunne drop jaws as Hailey Van Lith sizzles in new swimsuit cover

Hailey Van Lith's SI Swim debut leaves Angel Reese and Livvy Dunne stunned (image via IG)

TCU star Hailey Van Lith made it to the cover of the latest issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. The magazine announced on its Instagram with the digital print of the magazine and a sensational teaser. The basketballer’s former teammate Angel Reese and fellow SI model Livvy Dunne were quick to hype her up.

SI Swimsuit teased everybody with a carousel of pictures of Hailey Van Lith posing for the magazine with sneak peaks of what was to be expected of their newest edition. In another post, they posted a behind-the-scenes of the former LSU star preparing for her shoot.

Throughout the clip, she donned multiple swimsuits and stunned in all of them. To begin with, the trailer had everybody pumped. Out of all, gymnast Livvy Dunne and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese were the ones to shower the athlete with praises. In the comment section of the posts, the two rooted for Lith on her SI debut.

“Well excuse me miss ma’am,” Angel Reese wrote.”Omgggg,” added Livvy Dunne with a fire emoji. “Oh yea,” gushed Livvy Dunne in another post.

Both Livvy Dunne and Hailey Van Lith were tied to the LSU until last year, when the latter decided to transfer to TCU. Her decision was majorly influenced by the disappointing season with the university’s basketball team. However, the three-time SI model chose to stay with the Tigers for a fifth season in the hope of another NCAA Championship. She played an integral part in acquiring the team’s previous win at the events.

Meanwhile, Angel Reese moved on from LSU after being the Chicago Sky’s 7th overall pick in the 2024 Draft class. She made some records after building a name for herself with the team. Despite all that, this was not her first social media interaction with Hailey Van Lith.

Previously, she has encouraged her former LSU teammate a couple of times. Recently, she tweeted the basketballer’s initials to nod to her thrilling performance in the Sweet 16 game against Notre Dame on March 29.

Hailey Van Lith on relationship with teammates

Hailey Van Lith etched her name in basketball history as the first athlete to achieve five Elite Eight appearances. Apart from her distinct achievements, these were some that showed her elite sportsmanship and camaraderie within her team.

She played three seasons at Louisville before transferring to LSU in 2023, where she played alongside names like Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson. Despite changing teams, her approach to being a team player and leader has remained consistent. As she sat down with SI Swim, she unraveled her side of the story.

Hailey Van Lith expressed that her priority in the team was to keep everybody on the same page with the ‘do what needs to be done’ mindset. Regardless of her role, she practiced the art of pushing her teammates to be their ‘best versions’. The same applied for her tenure at the LSU where the light was extremely scattered. In the past, she has also taken charge to raise her voice at the racism faced by her teammates like Reese and Johnson.

After moving to TCU, the thrilling athlete removed some of the spotlight from her as a consequence of significant backlash. While some considered it to be her redemption story, she opined that she never left. Even at her current university, she spread her concerns to her teammates, highlighting the interpersonal relationships required in a group.