Every year, ESPN The Magazineputs out its Body Issue, which features professional athletes posing naked. Every year, they ask Dwyane Wade to be a part of it. And every year, Wade says no—that is, until this year.
ESPN The Magazine has apparently been trying to get Wade to do their Body Issue ever since 2009 when it first launched the magazine. But he's respectfully declined ESPN's offer seven times. Wade accepted it this year, though, and in a piece that was just published on ESPN.com, he explained why:
I was just never comfortable until about four years ago, when I started feeling comfortable with my body overall. As you go through life, you get more comfortable with yourself. It's like everything else with life—you change, you grow. People might think it's simple, but for me it was hard to even feel comfortable walking around naked when it's just me and my wife. So the thought of doing it at a photo shoot in front of people [laughs]—it was like, "No way ever."
Wade also talked about his biggest body insecurities with ESPN The Magazine—one of them being his "outie" belly button. Read Wade’s entire interview, here, and check out some of his photos using the link in this tweet:
Wade joins 18 other athletes who've also agreed to pose naked inside the pages of ESPN The Magazine this year. They include Conor McGregor, Antonio Brown, Von Miller, Elena Delle Donne, Vince Wilfork (great quote from him, here), and more. Team USA athlete Chris Mosier will be the first transgender athlete to ever pose for the Body Issue. The entire list of Body Issue athletes is available, here.
