Venus Williams, Micheal Phelps, Marshawn Lynch & Serge Ibaka Go Nude For ESPN’s Body Issue

Nude sports legends unite! Venus Williams, Michael Phelps and Marshawn Lynch among the naked athletes to grace SIX special covers of ESPN’s annual Body Issue.

Venus Williams displays her perfectly toned posterior and sleek waist-length locks as she follows in the footsteps of her sister Serena, who appeared on the debut cover of the Body Issue in 2009. Venus spoke to the publication about her struggles with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that caused her to drop out of tennis for six months between 2011 and 2012.

‘At my worst point, I wasn’t able to play tennis at all,’ the 34-year-old Florida native said. ‘Just the whole quality of my life was compromised. You are so tired it hurts. You have to accept that you’re never going to be 100 percent.’ Venus went on to explain that the key to her rehabilitation has been learning to pace herself.

 

He’s back: Superstar swimmer Michael Phelps, who has been taking a break following the 2012 London Summer Olympics, reveals he got ‘fat and out of shape’ during his hiatus, but is very clearly back on flying form, judging by his sensational cover shot (pictured).

 

He knows it: Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch (pictured), a running back for the Seattle Seahawks, says of his buff form, ‘I’m cool with my body, I love my body. I wouldn’t trade it for no other body’.

 

Peak form: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (pictured), is captured in vivid motion, leaping with his basketball.