SI Swimsuit Legend Roshumba Williams Stuns in Pretty Patterned Halter Two-Piece for Brand Return

The trailblazer, who made her debut in the magazine in 1990, returns for the 2025 issue.

Roshumba Williams / Santiago Felipe/Getty Images

An absolute icon in the modeling industry and beyond, Roshumba Williams returns to the pages of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit for the 2025 issue. The runway model, TV host and published author made her debut with the magazine back in 1990, becoming the brand’s first African American model. She’s now posed for seven features total—including her most recent, for which she is currently on set in Jamaica with photographer Yu Tsai.

The 56-year-old Chicago, Ill. native, who was discovered in Paris in the late ‘80s, has appeared on the cover of prominent magazines such as Marie Claire, Essense, Elle and, of course, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Traveling across the globe with the brand over the years, Williams has posed on the scenic shores of St. Vincent, the Canary Islands in Spain and Ormond Beach, Fla., among other enviable locations.

Williams, who now works as a correspondent for ABC’sOn the Red Carpet, is positively radiant in the first official image from her 2025 photo shoot. Though the brand won’t release her full gallery of images until we’re closer to the magazine hitting newsstands in May, we couldn’t help but share a sneak peek at the iconic supermodel with our readers. Wearing a pretty, feminine and fun green and white patterned bikini, Williams basked in the tropical sun and looked gorgeous while doing so.

Roshumba Williams was photographed by Yu Tsai in Jamaica. Swimsuit by Jade Swim. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

The ocean backdrop is simply heavenly, but we can’t take our eyes off Williams. The suit, from brand Jade Swim, gives total tropical vibes and we’re obsessed with the cross-cross halter feature as well as the underwire cups which provide full support.

“We just wrapped and I have to say I’m like that close to tears,” Williams said on set while making a pinching gesture with her fingers, “because my dreams dreamed of this. It’s just—how could this possibly be? I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Over 20 years ago, I shot for Sports Illustrated for the last time and now I’m back, you guys!” The feeling is certainly mutual.

Williams posed for the brand four consecutive years between 1990 and 1994, coming back a decade later for a feature in the 2004 magazine. 20 years later, she made her triumphant return to be featured as a brand “Legend,” posing alongside 26 other iconic models for the brand’s 60th anniversary. In Hollywood, Fla. with photographer Yu Tsai, she looked like a million bucks in her jaw-dropping Retrofête gown. And now, she’s following that incredible, celebratory feature up with another shoot worth all the praise.

“I’m extremely excited about the Legends because this group of women represents glass ceiling-breakers,” she said while on set in 2024. “We represent people who weren’t supposed to make it, who did. We represent the status quo of beauty—and breaking that status quo. We represent so much strength, positivity and power.”

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks from Williams’s stunning 2025 feature.

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