Swimsuit

8 Exquisite Photos of WNBA Star DiDi Richards in St. Thomas

The athlete was featured in the 2022 SI Swimsuit Issue.

Cara O’Bleness

DiDi Richards

DiDi Richards was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas.

Last year, SI Swimsuit brought together several WNBA athletes for a unique group photo shoot in St. Thomas. DiDi Richards posed for photographer Laretta Houston alongside fellow basketball stars Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Nneka Ogwumike and Te’a Cooper.

Richards is a shooting guard for the Liberty, and will soon be reunited with Stewart on the court as her teammate. The two-time Olympic gold medalist recently signed with the New York-based team.

In 2020, a college injury left Richards temporarily paralyzed from the waist down and she had to learn how to walk again. After her triumphant return to the court, she was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

“I think it was empowering... to do something like this or to step so far out of my comfort zone,” Richards said of her SI Swimsuit photo shoot.

She also shared that being on set with fellow WNBA athletes was “fun” and allowed her to see the women in a different light. Richards also called out one particular swimsuit she wore as her absolute favorite.

“The suspenders with like the stars was so me,” she gushed. “Like if one swimsuit could be my personality, it was that.”

Richards spoke with WNBA.com last November about the legacy she hopes to one day leave in her sport.

“I’m trying to continue to push the ‘diva’ side of the game; you can be beautiful and have nails, lashes, and still be a hard player on the court. Like somebody that’s gonna get down and guard,” she stated. “Second to that is resiliency, somebody that’s still gonna pop back up and be able to fight through it all. I want my legacy to stand on me being resilient in every aspect of life.”

Below are eight breathtaking images from Richards’s SI Swimsuit photoshoot.

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Published
Cara O’Bleness

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.