The ESPN Body Issue was first released back in 2009 and it has turned into an annual thing that has gone strong ever since.
This year’s issue will be the 10th edition of the magazine and ESPN kicked off the week by dropping a sneak peek at some of the covers and photos of all 16 athletes included in this year’s copy.
The 2018 edition of the magazine will hit newsstands by the end of this week and features upcoming stars, current stars, and former stars.
Minnesota Timberwolves centre Karl-Anthony Towns is the lone NBA player featured in this year’s edition of the magazine but he isn’t the only basketball player as he’s joined by Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird and Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart.
The Storm teammates aren’t featured together, though, as Bird will be featured alongside her partner who happens to be professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe.
Rapinoe is one of three soccer players who will appear in the upcoming issue as she’s also joined by US National women’s soccer teammate Crystal Dunn and LA Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The crew switched things up when it came to the professional football players in the magazine as they went with an upcoming star in New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and former wide receiver Jerry Rice.
The NFL’s all-time receiving yards and touchdown leader isn’t the oldest athlete in the magazine as professional golfer Greg Norman has seven years on him.
This year’s magazine will include a couple of firsts as it will include its very first WWE star. Representing the wrestling world in the magazine will be Charlotte Flair, daughter of wrestling legend Ric Flair.
The other first for the magazine is the fact that the sprinting world will be represented in this year’s issue by 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tori Bowie.
For the second straight season the magazine will include a softball player as USSSA Pride’s Lauren Chamberlain will appear in the magazine and on one of the covers.
Major League Baseball will have two representatives in this year’s edition as Houston Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig are both in it.
2018 Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins will be the fifth skier to be featured in the magazine as she hits the slopes for a very cold photo shoot.
The NHL will not be represented in this year’s edition of the magazine but there will be one athlete who makes a living on the ice in it as 2018 Olympic bronze medalist Adam Rippon is one of the 16 athletes who made the cut.
The magazine will hit shelves later this week and you can check out more of the pictures on the official website.
(H/T ESPN)
