Behind the Shoot: Sophie Cunningham, Napheesa Collier and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in Fort Myers

When Sophie Cunningham, Napheesa Collier and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden touched down in the Fort Myers, Fla., area for their 2026 SI Swimsuit Issue photo shoots, they each had their game face on.

Cunningham, a guard for the Indiana Fever, called her time on set with photographer Katherine Goguen “one of the most empowering things” that she has ever done, noting that she was surprised by how confident she felt from the inside out while in front of the camera.

“I didn’t know how actually empowering internally that this was going to be for me,” Cunningham said. “But after that photo shoot, it’s like, ‘Wow, I wish every little girl and every little boy could just feel what that felt like.’ I feel so confident, I feel so beautiful, I feel so amazing in my own skin and what my body has to offer and ... I just felt so good just to be myself.”

“Like this is what SI [Swimsuit] is all about,” Cunningham added. “Empowering the female body. So that’s what we’re doing.”

Despite challenges on set, ranging from unseasonably cold weather in Florida and personal injuries, all three of this year’s featured athletes came to win. Collier, who underwent ankle surgery about a month before her SI Swimsuit photo shoot, required a beach wheelchair to get her around the sand in Fort Myers, but as the Minnesota Lynx foward humbly noted, “we made it work.” Meanwhile, SI Swimsuit’s editor in chief, MJ Day, called Collier “the most savage warrior I have ever known in my life.”

“I think we’re changing women’s sports,” Collier, who is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time WNBA All-Star and cofounder of Unrivaled, stated. “ ... We’re just trying to change what it means to be a women’s athlete. How they’re treated, how they’re compensated, the entire experience. Just trying to make the game better than how I found it.”

Meanwhile, her SI Swimsuit feature served as Jefferson-Wooden’s first-ever photo shoot, so she found herself a little nervous while on set. “This is definitely outside of my comfort zone, so we’re just gonna go with the flow,” Jefferson-Wooden admitted. The Olympic bronze medalist’s aunt and manager accompanied her on set, where the two shared some sweet moments reflecting upon Jefferson-Wooden’s personal and professional growth over the years.

The track and field Olympic bronze medalist, who holds the title of being the fourth-fastest woman in history, humbly stated that while she often has to be reminded of her incredible athletic prowess, she’s continually looking ahead to the future. “Even though I am where I am right now, like I’m still not done,” she stated. “We have so much more to grow and learn and still a lot to accomplish.”

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