Why I Posed for Playboy? Everyone Told Me I Should Be on Runways and in Magazines

Kysre Gondrezick, hailing from a family steeped in basketball history, found herself at a crossroads after a promising WNBA career was cut short. Her father, Grant Gondrezick, was an NBA player, and her mother, Lisa Harvey-Gondrezick, was a national champion college player. Kysre herself set a Michigan state record in high school with 72 points in a single game.

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Everyone told me I was going down the wrong path, that I should be on runways and in magazines.

Her path to the WNBA was fraught with personal loss. Just months before the 2021 draft, her father passed away. Gondrezick played through her grief, admitting she might have quit basketball entirely without his influence. Despite the emotional toll, she was drafted fourth overall by the Indiana Fever, a testament to her resilience.

The transition to the professional league proved difficult, with Gondrezick moving from star player to a role on the bench. Unlike the NBA, the WNBA lacks a structured developmental league, making the adjustment to the professional pace and physicality challenging. After being released by the Chicago Sky in 2024, she saw it as an opportunity to explore a different path.

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Commercially speaking, the WNBA doesn't care that I lost my father, they want to see what I can produce on the court.

Gondrezick turned to modeling and fashion, a world that had already begun to notice her unique style during pre-game "tunnel walks." Inspired by 90s supermodels like Gisele Bündchen and Princess Diana, she has cultivated a fashion icon status. Her decision to appear on the cover of Playboy, which she describes as part of her "evolution," traces back to a childhood memory of being captivated by a magazine cover, seeing it as a bold step in her personal and public journey.

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As a girl, I probably shouldn't have, I came across a magazine and saw a woman on the cover. I was fascinated by her.