Model Brooks Nader is back with a bang in this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue – just 12 months after she was chosen from thousands of girls at an open casting call to make her debut in the iconic magazine.
The 23-year-old Baton Rouge native looks every inch the confident beach babe in her latest shoot, which sees her striking a series of sexy poses on the beach in Bali, while wearing a host of teeny bikinis.
In several of the images, Brooks also dared to bare by going topless, sitting and lying down in the sand while wearing just a pair of bikini bottoms.
Strike a pose: Model Brooks Nader wowed in a tiny black bikini as she returned to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit for the second year in a row
Hot hot hot: The 23-year-old posed topless on the beach in Bali, where her shoot took place back in November, before the pandemic hit
Milestone: Baton Rouge native Brooks made her debut in the publication last year after she was hand-picked from 10,000 girls who all turned out to an open casting call
Stepping up her game: After winning the magazine’s Model Search, Brooks was named as the newest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie
Other photos from the series capture Brooks posing in a tiny patent back two-piece, which she accessorized with layers of chunky pearl necklaces.
The New York-based star also posed up in two white biknis – one of which she paired with a boho headscarf, while the other featured trendy cut-outs on the top and bottoms.
But behind the sizzling images, the SI Swimsuit shoot actually held incredibly special significance for Brooks in a number of ways.
Not only was it her debut as an official Rookie – a title that she earned after being crowned the winner of the magazine’s 2019 Model Search – it was also one of the final shoots she took part in before tying the knot with her now-husband Billy Haire.
The model stunned her Instagram followers and fans in December when she revealed that she and advertising exec Billy, 33, had wed in a lavish New Orleans ceremony after keeping their engagement tightly under wraps.
Stunner: Brooks shared several behind-the-scenes videos and photos from her shoot – which took place just a few weeks before she got married
Busy bee! Almost immediately after her shoot in Bali, Brooks jetted off to Mexico for her bachelorette party
Shaking things up: In her shoot, Brooks even donned several bridal white bikinis – including this simple and chic strapless design
Beach babe! The New York-based beauty had her hair styled in salty waves
But if the then-bride-to-be was feeling any nerves about her impending ceremony during the shoot, she certainly didn’t show it while putting on a cool and confident display for the cameras.
Indeed, Brooks’ career has gone from strength to strength since she made her debut in the magazine in 2019, having been hand-picked out of 10,000 girls by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit alum Christie Brinkley at an open casting call for new models.
At the time, the budding star confessed to DailyMailTV that she ‘couldn’t believe’ that she had been chosen to star in the publication – and she admits that her being a part of the iconic annual issue still feels ‘surreal’.
‘It’s a huge honor for me to be a Rookie this year!’ she told SI Swimsuit editor MJ Day.
‘Many models in the magazine I’ve followed and admired for a very long time during my career, so to be alongside them in the pages of SI Swimsuit is a huge accomplishment.
Surprise! Brooks admitted that her shoot felt ‘surreal’, adding that many of her biggest inspirations have been Rookies in the past
Motivation: ‘Many models in the magazine I’ve followed and admired for a very long time during my career,’ she said
Breaking barriers: Brooks never expected to go into modeling, revealing to DailyMail.com last year that she thought she would end up working in finance
Making moves: ‘I was a total tomboy growing up, I was into sports and didn’t ever really think about modeling,’ she shared
‘Now being a positive role model for young women feels surreal and a dream come true. Two years ago I started this process with Swim Search and got to meet the SI Swimsuit family. Their enthusiasm, expertise, and unique approach has helped me grow so much as a individual and evolve as a model.’
Interestingly Brooks, who grew up as a tomboy, was never interested in modeling, and she always assumed that she would end up working in a finance job before she was introduced to Sports Illustrated.
‘I didn’t intend to be a model, I went to college, I was like OK I’m going to do something boring like finance,’ she told DailyMail.com last year. ‘I was a total tomboy growing up, I was into sports and didn’t ever really think about modeling.’
However that interest in sports is what first introduced Brooks to Sports Illustrated – although rather than focusing on the Swimsuit Issue, the model first saw the publication because her sport-loving family members would read it.
After breaking into the modeling scene a few years ago however, Brooks decided that she would enter the magazine’s Model Search, which launched just a few years ago – and sees thousands of young women entering in the hopes of landing a coveted spot in the issue.
But even though she had a few jobs under her belt, the Louisiana local never thought that she would be chosen from the hoards of models in the search.
‘I remember looking around and seeing all of these beautiful girls, and I was like, oh there’s no way,’ she admitted.
Growth: ‘Now being a positive role model for young women feels surreal and a dream come true,’ Brooks shared
Work it! Brooks worked with renowned photographer Yu Tsai for her shoot in Bali
Perfect fit: The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model married her now-husband Billy Haire just weeks later – when she wore a strapless gown by Oscar de la Renta
Big Day: Brooks and Billy said ‘I do’ in a lavish ceremony in New Orleans, Louisiana
2019 was an incredibly big year for Brooks for a number of reasons; not only did she make her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut, but she also tied the knot with her advertiser beau Billy.
The pair wed in a stunning ceremony in New Orleans just a few weeks after her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit shoot for this year’s publication took place.
‘Our big day was nothing short of magical and filled with all the people we love most who traveled from all over the world which meant so much to us!’ Brooks told DailyMail.com exclusively at the time.
‘One of my favorite (and our guests) parts of the evening was at the end we had a 10 person bass brand (separate from our regular band) lead us out of the venue and into the streets of the French quarter for a parade,’ she recalled.
‘We had police escorts closing Bourbon [Street] off and everyone on the sidewalks was cheering and screaming for us and our guests and we marched down! It was a huge party!’
New Orleans has always been a special place for Brooks, who grew up in Baton Rouge and went to Tulane University for two years before she moved to New York City to pursue modeling.
She told The Knot that she and Billy knew right away that St. Mary’s Church and the Old Ursuline Convent Museum were the perfect places for their ceremony and reception.