NEW YORK--WNBA star Diana Taurasi wears nothing but a basketball and a tattoo in her cover photos for ESPN The Magazine 2nd Annual Body Issue hitting newsstands Friday.
USA TODAY'S Michael McCarthy got an exclusive first look at the Phoenix Mercury star's two magazine covers. One is shown here. The other shows a naked Taurasi (with private parts strategically covered) with a basketball against her hip.
ESPN The Magazine editor-in-chief Gary Belsky has predicted Taurasi's image will be "completely turned upside down" by the risqué photos.
Besides Taurasi, there will be five other cover subjects for the Body Issue this year. They are: a dozen members of the USA Water Polo Women's National team; New York Knicks star Amar'e Stoudemire; U.S. World Cup goalkeeper Tim Howard; PGA Tour golfer Camilo Villegas; and Dutch wheelchair tennis player Esther Vergeer.
Other athletes featured in this year's Body Issue include: tennis star Venus Williams; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis; Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez; billiards player Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee; Olympic skier Julia Mancuso; figure skater Evan Lysacek; surfer Kelly Slater; volleyball player Kim Glass; track and field athlete Rachel Yurkovich; and ex-NFL running back Herschel Walker.
The first Body Issue last fall also featured six cover subjects: tennis star Serena Williams; Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson; NASCAR driver Carl Edwards; mixed martial artist Gina Carano; and amputee track star Sarah Reinertsen.
-- Michael McCarthy
About Reid and Mike
Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.
He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.
Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.
