Before Swimsuit Issue, Olivia Dunne Graces Sneak Peeks Into Sports Illustrated Shoot

Started gymnastics at the age of 3, and signed her first collaboration with one of the biggest sport-illustrated shoots, and swimsuits at a young age. Undoubtedly, Olivia Dunne is a renowned name in NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals. Last year, in 2023, Dunne traded her sparkly purple leotard for some stunning bikinis and one-pieces during her SI Swimsuit debut. This famous athlete in the country wowed fans when she was captured by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico. 

Fast forward to January 2024 America’s crush is all set to make headlines with Watts in Portugal for a jaw-dropping photoshoot. In a new update, Dunne has shared groovy snippets from her Instagram account and ignited excitement among her followers.

SI 60th anniversary making headlines

“Happy @swimsuit drop event to those who celebrate,” adds Dunne on May 14th, 2024, with a location in Portugal. The New Jersey native is set to make a stunning return as a rookie in the upcoming edition. She’s gearing up to grace the pages of the highly anticipated annual issue, hitting shelves in May 2024 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the company. 

After coming back in 2 years for the collaboration, Dunne once added, “Coming back for Year 2, I mean, last year I said it was a dream come true, and nothing’s changed, it’s still a dream come true. I can’t believe I can call myself a rookie. It feels unreal.” 

Not just Dunne, Brittany Mahomes, Paige Spiranac have been dropping hints about the upcoming release of the 60th anniversary issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. They each posted sneak peek photos on social media, giving fans a taste of what’s to come in the highly anticipated issue.

This deal is a big step for Dunne, aligning with her recent work with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. It’s clear Dunne is ready to expand beyond gymnastics, using her influence to build a sustainable career. 

Olivia Dunne is really a malleable NIL queen

Olivia Dunne has the vintage covers of SI many times prior too and has emerged as a beautiful starlet, courtesy of her exceptional photographer and set. 2023 and 2024 are the only two times she’s risen to the occasion, but has left an impression already in SI’s loyal fandom’s minds. 2023 saw her besiege the bucolic and picturesque Puerto Rico and Ben Watts had a little something to do with it as well. Bringing her natural oeuvre to the situation, this was a far cry from her usual gymnastics attire. The lady in white bedazzled everyone, post which her NIL odometer skyrocketed like crazy. She playfully proclaims that –“I’m blessed enough to have all these opportunities with NIL, and I just wanted to provide NIL opportunities for the women student-athletes at LSU,” meaning this also opens greener pastures for other women.

Being relatively nascent in the SI Illustrated scene and fandom, with 2024 being just her 2nd year, she seems to be on even keel with the brand so far. The 2023 iteration had a grungy yet bewitching tone to it with the Netflix hit show Wednesday inspiring the overall feel of her outfits as well. I’ll do you one better, her look was very reminiscent of yesteryear actresses, particularly Madonna, as Dunne could be seen in darker color gradients and pallets. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without her natural beauty carpe dieming the day.

From a wide array of closeups to even Baywatch inspired slo-mo shots to a gymnastics manoeuvre, Dunne looked every bit the diva that she was. When underscoring the purpose of cherry picking her to be the poster girl for SI, SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day says that –“Usually being a D1 athlete, an all-academic and an industrious entrepreneur is enough to garner respect and accolades”. She says that the X-factor being that -” But when you are Livvy Dunne and you also mix in being arrestingly beautiful, you unfortunately garner the ire and resentment of a certain niche population.

She further stated that -“The refusal of some to appreciate Livvy for being more than just a pretty blonde is missing the point. The backlash she received for ‘leveraging’ her sexuality for endorsement dollars after the NIL restrictions were lifted is incorrect. We are here to celebrate this incredible young woman and encourage the world to respect and applaud Livvy and her fellow athletes for owning the blood, sweat and tears that have fueled a lifetime of achievements.” 

With the SI repertoire firmly in her grasp, 2024 was an even better outing for her. This time set in Porto, Portugal, Dunne upped the ante and showcased her allegiance to the brand by embodying balletcore and cottagecore styles amidst the lush green Douro valley. This year around featured a more grounded, rustic and a floral look to her wardrobe. From pastel to artisanal jewellery and whatnot, she came, she saw, and she conquered. “We just have a blast on set,” – She says. It seems like the brand and her are two peas in a pod. What’s in store for next year’s celluloid extravaganza? Stay tuned for more.