SI Swimsuit Takes A Look Back At Kate Upton’s Run From Rookie Of The Year To Legend
Upton reminds the world what peak swimsuit season really looks like
If you're catching up with Kate Upton these days, it's usually by taking a walk down memory lane. She's on mom duty, having welcomed a second child with her husband Justin Verlander over the summer.
A couple of months ago, we hopped in the time machine and spent a few minutes in 2017 with the 33-year-old model. A clip of her dressed up as Britney Spears during an appearance on Lip Sync Battle went viral and prompted the trip.
That clip now has more than five million views and the trip was well worth our time. So when an invitation to take a walk down memory lane popped up on the timeline thanks to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, I, without hesitation, accepted.
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When SI Swimsuit is throwing out the title of legend, it's going to get your attention. It goes without saying that Kate Upton is a legend when it comes to the swimsuit edition.
She debuted in 2011 as the issue's "Rookie of the Year," then landed her first of four Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers the following year at the age of 19.
Kate Upton: From Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie of the Year to Four-Time Cover Star
There was no stopping Kate Upton after that. She went "Rookie of the Year" to the cover in back-to-back years. She then added a second consecutive cover in 2013.
She was back on the cover in 2017 and was one of the four swimsuit models who landed on the cover of the 60th anniversary issue in 2024.
This walk down memory lane, which arrived on Sunday, starts at her debut in 2011 and ends with the last cover she appeared on last year.
That's what you call a successful walk down memory lane. It's also more than sufficient in the evidence department to support that "SI Swimsuit Legend" title.
The craziest part about the whole lookback isn't that she's been doing it since 2011, it's that she's only 33. She's cemented herself as a legend before the age of 35.
Kate doesn’t need to do another photo shoot ever again if she doesn’t want to. She could be the Barry Sanders of swimsuit models if that's what she decided to do.
Let's hope that's not the case, and we get a return for the ages at some point. The kind that reignites the greatest-to-ever-do-it discussion. What a career.