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My dad was an NBA star – I became Miss Georgia and a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model in different career path
JASMYN Wilkins comes from NBA royalty – but she has made a name for herself as a catwalk queen.
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model's dad is former New York Knicks star Gerald Wilkins, while her uncle is Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.
Meanwhile, Jasmyn's brother Damien had a lengthy career as a professional basketball player and her sister Holli also played in college.
Jasmyn missed out on the family's athlete genes and instead turned to modeling while studying to be a nurse at Clemson University.
She was named Miss Georgia USA in 2012 and then placed fourth runner-up at Miss USA later that year.
Her career took off after signing with One Management and working regularly with brands like Forever 21, Adore Me, Fashion Nova, and House of CB.
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Jasmyn's biggest break came in 2018 when she was chosen to be a rookie model in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition.
"Being in Sports Illustrated was definitely a game changer for my modeling career," she told Hamptons.com.
"I was able to work with clients that I had only dreamt about shooting for such as Maybelline and Savage x Fenty.
"It does help having a big job like SI on my résumé when it comes to meeting casting directors and photographers.
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"I still get goosebumps when I look at my rookie page on our coffee table.
"I’m forever grateful for my time with Sports Illustrated and the career boost it provided."
Jasmyn, who is married to former MLB player Cecil Tanner, says the success of her famous dad and uncle has proven to be inspirational in her modeling career.
"They were so committed to reaching success in their careers that it was only natural that that competitive drive would trickle down to my siblings and I," the 33-year-old added.
"I was always especially inspired by my father. He was constantly being compared to my uncle Dominique who had already cemented his career as a Hall of Famer.
"My dad had to hustle hard to carve out a professional identity for himself, which is something that I can relate to.
"They also each played for 13-plus years, which is almost unheard of to have that long of a career in sports.
"I would love to have that much longevity in my own career."