Lebron James Graces Cover Of Vogue

CLEVELAND — LeBron James is striking a pose.

The Cleveland Cavaliers' superstar will appear on the April cover of Vogue, joining actors Richard Gere and George Clooney as the only men to do so in the influential fashion magazine's 116-year history.

Wearing a tank top, shorts and sneakers from his own Nike clothing line, James appears on the cover dribbling a basketball and screaming as if in game mode while throwing one arm around supermodel Gisele Bundchen with Tom Brady nowhere to be found.

The pairing of the All-Star forward and the runway icon was shot in January by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz in James' hometown of Akron, Ohio.

Vogue is featuring athletes and models in an annual issue devoted to size and shape. The 6-foot-9 James and 5-foot-11 Bundchen, who dates Patriots star quarterback Brady, were a natural pairing.

"Nobody says more about fashion size and shape than Gisele and LeBron," Vogue spokesman Patrick O'Connell said. "LeBron is an amazing star and athlete that has crossed over into a cultural phenomena."

Being on the cover of a sports magazine is nothing new to James, who first appeared on Sports Illustrated's front as a 17-year-old high school junior in 2002 next to the presumptuous title of "The Chosen One." He is currently one of 11 athletes appearing on the cover of ESPN The Magazine's 10th anniversary issue.

However, as his popularity and visibility broaden, James has recently been featured on the covers of Fortune, Men's Health and Black Enterprise.

Comments

[Deborah]

LeBron James is an athlete that fans can be proud of. He is a young man that is handling his fame and fortune with a maturity and dignity that other super stars could take a lesson from.

Lebron is a sports phenom that our children can look up to. I am proud to be a fan of Lebron James, and I hope he can continue to be a role model for others.

[tiedtothewhippingpost]

Just stay off the court Deb.

[tiedtothewhippingpost]

Last guy alive that can take on the Houston Rockets.

[anons]

A slight modification to your article:
"James appears dribbling a basketball and screaming as if ....he's a modern day King Kong clutching the poor defenseless white woman." There are so may things wrong with this cover I don't even wanna go into it.

[robXdion]

So true. It plays into EVERY foul stereotype. And Lebron is probably just fine with it.

[chronic]

Money talk$.

Labron is probably ignorant to the analogy.

Guess if he'd gone to college he'd recognize!

[vox1]

One problem with that interpretation is that, unlike Fay Wray, Giselle looks to be ecstatic to be with James. I understand the concern, but it's a little problematic that you automatically identify James as an ape. A black man yelling is automatically like an ape?

[cindyw]

Good point. Is any black man who isn't standing quietly with his eyes downcast a threat to white women?

[Arguman]

I hear what you're saying, but the similarities are striking, and aside from that, LeBron is married and Gisele is going out with Tom Brady, so why is LeBron apparently grasping Gisele in his arm and screaming as though he has just made a conquest of some sort? While I think crying "racist!" at everything you may disagree with is stupid and defensive of what someone may be afraid of, attacking them for that accusation or suggestion is equally wrong.
I don't see LeBron as an ape, nor Gisele as a United States American caucasian blonde actress put onto the streets because of the Great Depression.
I see LeBron having been posed in a way analogous to the theater posters for the first King Kong movie, as well as pre-Kong pulp covers, the Emmanuel Fremiet's "Gorilla Carrying off a Woman", WW1 posters, etc.

It's just a weird cover. Seems more like SLAM! or ESPN material than Vogue.

[chronic]

anons, EXACTLY!

[KBR]

Why is America obsessed with photographing Black men with White women? Of course we would never see a White male sports star paired with a Black woman on the cover of Vogue or virtually any other important magazine. How do such images affect the self esteem of Black women?

[robXdion]

Oh don't worry they get their comeuppance with being paired with white men in movies and TV. Look at the background of most TV scenes and you'll see it.

[Wolfgang]

No, America isn't obsessed with this. It is those who own and run our media who are obsessed with this. They are determined to push their ideological agenda down our throats no matter what. They even go so far as to do it in ads for children's clothes. Certain stores such as Macys and JC Penny always show a clothing ad with black boys posing with white girls. I guess they feel that you can never start them too young. The only solution is to expose those who are pushing this agenda. Like cockroaches, once you shine the light on them they run and hide.

[anghiari]

When's the last time we saw a woman of color on Vogue's cover? LeBron's nice, but we don't have the same taste in heels!

[atlantajoe]

No!