Olivia Dunne Details Chaotic Turnaround For Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Shoot In Puerto Rico After Manifesting Her Dream

Olivia Dunne is one of the first college athletes to appear in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. It would not have been possible without Name, Image and Likeness.

Dunne, a 20-year-old LSU gymnast, is amongst the biggest stars on the internet. She boasts more than four million followers on Instagram and seven million followers on TikTok.

However, in addition to her astronomical rise in fame, Dunne has grown her brand into a business. Ever since the first day that NIL came into existence, July 1, 2021, she has focused on making deliberate decisions that can help to elevate herself beyond gymnastics and beyond social media.

Most recently, Dunne teamed up with Sports Illustrated. It was something that she had dreamed about for a long time, and it took a lot of work to land the opportunity.

Dunne spent Wednesday afternoon speaking to many of the top college football recruits in the Class of 2024 at the On3 NIL Elite Series in Nashville. It is a one-of-a-kind event that is focused on providing recruits with the skills needed to thrive within the Name, Image and Likeness space.

During her conversation, which was moderated by OutKick's Hot Mic host Jonathan Hutton, Olivia and her mother Katherine spoke on a variety of topics.

Olivia Dunne talked about how she landed the S.I. spread.

Olivia and Katherine Dunne speak with Jonathan Hutton at the On3 NIL Elite Series in Nashville.

It was a lot of manifestation, and a targeted effort. She felt as though her ethos matched that of Sports Illustrated, which created a perfect marriage.

Sports Illustrated was a dream come true for me. It's something that was manifested into my life and something that I worked really hard for, rather than it just coming on a whim. I put in hours on social media, and they saw that.
I felt as though they saw the message that I try to say in my social media posts, that you're more than just your sport. Our visions aligned, they reached out to me, and it was an honor.

In between class and practice, Dunne is always thinking about her next move. One night, it hit her.

Sports Illustrated. I told my mom. I told my sister. We spoke it into existence.
My sister made me a picture with the Sports Illustrated logo. She created a mental picture, and helped put a vision in my head.
You have to believe it to see it. That's something that I believe fully.

Once Dunne got the call, it wasn't easy to get it all together. Sports Illustrated usually asks for a six-day shoot. Dunne is in college, and the season was about to begin. Six days away simply was not possible.

Instead, her coach gave her one day. Not two. One.

Dunne took what she could get, hopped on a plane to Puerto Rico and prayed for good weather. The good weather came, she shot the spread in one day (which is far more difficult than it sounds), and immediately got back on the plane to Baton Rouge.

While it might seem like it was all glamor and glitz, it was a whirlwind. But it wouldn't have happened if Dunne hadn't built her brand to what it is today and imagined herself in the magazine.