LSU Athletes Angel Reese and Olivia Dunne Grace the Cover of the ‘Sports Illustrated’ October Issue

The pair have made names for themselves in recent years, earning countless brand deals and features in the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue.

Angel Reese and Olivia Dunne.Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

For LSU athletes Angel Reese and Olivia Dunne, 2023 has been a big year. The pair, along with several of their fellow Tigers athletes, have been busy building their brands since the inception of the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies governing college athletics and monetization. 

Reese, a senior who transferred from the University of Maryland as a sophomore, played a pivotal role in leading the Tigers women's basketball team to its inaugural National championship title in the spring. Her remarkable performance earned her the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four honors.

Dunne, the highest-paid female college athlete in the country and the third highest-paid college athlete overall, trailing only basketball player Bronny James at the University of Southern California, who is the son of NBA legend LeBron James, and Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, has also achieved significant success this year. In an attempt to spread the wealth and share her success with fellow female athletes, the gymnast created The Livvy Fund, a program meant to help other LSU female student athletes find brand deals and likewise monetize their names.

Angel Reese and Olivia Dunne.

Noam Galai/Getty Images

With success both in the gym and in building their brands, the pair have made names for themselves. Their various achievements this year—from athletic successes to realizing business deals and helping others to do the same—have put their names on the map. As a result, the pair each earned features in the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue.

Additionally, in the October Issue of Sports Illustrated, the duo take stage as cover stars. The monthly issue—coined “The Money Issue”—profiles both athletes, as well as other female Tigers, highlighting their success in the realm of NIL. The landscape of college athletics has certainly changed in the past few years, and Reese and Dunne are at the forefront of the shift, taking advantage of their personal brands and inspiring other women to do the same. Read the full cover story here.

Angel Reese and Olivia Dunne.

Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

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