ESPN magazine’s body issue is a daring celebration of all body shapes and sizes.
For the eighth year, it’s highlighting the strongest, fittest and toughest athletes, including three-time NBA champ Dwayne Wade, who was terrified to take it all off for photographers.
“I had a fear of being naked in front of others and a fear of being judged,” Wade told ESPN during the photo shoot. “So to me, overcoming that is the biggest thing. Someone may look at me and think, ‘Why would you have insecurity?’ Well, this is real life and I’m human, and these are the things that I deal with that many others might deal with."
ESPN the Magazine's Body Issue 2014 ESPN Magazine's Body Issue 2015: Star Athletes Pose in the BuffOlympic swimmer Nathan Adrian, surfer Courtney Conlogue, soccer star Christen Press and transgender athlete Chris Mosier all stripped down for the issue.
While the magazine is filled with rock hard bodies, football legend Vince Wilfork, who weighs more than 325 pounds, was chosen for the cover. He said confidence in your body and dedication to your dreams is most important.
“I’m 120 percent confident in myself,” Wilfork told ABC News. “I am who I am. When it was time to get down to business it was no different than me getting ready to play a football game. I was there to do a job and I attacked it that way.”
The body issue is available online on July 6 and hits newsstands on July 8.