Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor and Super Bowl MVP/”Dancing With the Stars” alum Von Miller are among the superstar athletes appearing in all their natural glory in ESPN The Magazine’s eighth annual Body Issue, the publication announced on Tuesday.
Body 2016 will also feature a transgender athlete for the first time, Team USA duathlete Chris Mosier, who was also the first trans athlete to make a U.S. national team last year.
Also stripping off for ESPN the Magazine’s flagship issue are Houston Texans nose tackle Vince Wilfork, Olympic boxer Claressa Shields, U.S. women’s national soccer team forward Christen Press and Olympic gold medalist diver Greg Louganis.
The eighth time proved the charm for Wade (above) who had turned down posing nude for the magazine seven years in a row. “It was uncharted water for me,” the 13-year NBA veteran told ESPN. “It was one of those moments where it’s good to overcome a fear of something.
“It’s bigger than me showing my body off. That’s not as important to me as telling a story of overcoming a fear. It hopefully gives someone confidence to really be their authentic self.”
Wilfork, who weighs in at 325 pounds, said: “I know I don’t have the six-packs and the eight-packs and all that … but I’m perfectly fine with what I am. If people can look at me, look at a guy that’s 325-plus doing an issue like this, I’m pretty sure that they might have a little confidence after seeing that it’s OK to be who you are.”
Retired diver Louganis, 56, is this year’s oldest athlete — but getting naked for the cameras didn’t worry the LGBT rights activist.
“When I look around at my contemporaries, I’d say I’m probably in better shape than most of them,” Louganis told ESPN. “It’s all about making healthy choices. I think HIV has helped motivate me mentally and physically. I look at working out and doing something physically active every day as being as important as taking my meds.
“HIV taught me that I’m a lot stronger than I ever believed I was. I didn’t think I would see 30, and here I am at 56.”
The Body Issue will be available online on July 6 and on newsstands July 8.
See the full roster of 10 men and nine women below.
Nathan Adrian, Olympics/swimming
Jake Arrieta, MLB
Antonio Brown, NFL
Emma Coburn, Olympics/steeplechase
Courtney Conlogue, surfing
Elena Delle Donne, WNBA
Ryan Dungey, motocross
Adeline Gray, Olympics/wrestling
Greg Louganis, Olympics/diving
Conor McGregor, MMA
Von Miller, NFL
Chris Mosier, duathlon
Nzingha Prescod, Olympics/fencing
Christen Press, soccer
April Ross, Olympics/beach volleyball
Allysa Seely, paratriathlete
Claressa Shields, Olympics/boxing
Dwyane Wade, NBA
Vince Wilfork, NFL
It's official. These athletes (and more!) will bare all in the 2016 #BodyIssue. Full roster: https://t.co/AwXYt9PTpnhttps://t.co/PWcjoGLGPM
— ESPN (@espn) June 21, 2016