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NEW YORK — Women's pro basketball star Diana Taurasi was nervous about dropping her uniform and posing nude for ESPN The Magazine's second annual Body Issue.
But in the end, the racy photo shoot went well. The Phoenix Mercury star is glad she did it.
"I am who I am — whether I have clothes on or off. I'm still the same person," Taurasi said by phone from the Czech Republic before leading U.S. team into the finals of the women's basketball world championship Sunday.
Taurasi, the 2009 WNBA MVP and former University of Connecticut star, will be one of 40 pro, amateur and Olympic athletes posing in the buff (with private parts strategically covered) when the Body Issue hits newsstands Friday.
An exclusive first look shows Taurasi on not one but two different covers of the issue which has become ESPN The Magazine's top newsstand seller. There will be five other cover subjects: a dozen members of the USA Water Polo Women's National team; Dutch wheelchair tennis player Esther Vergeer; New York Knicks star Amar'e Stoudemire; U.S. World Cup goalkeeper Tim Howard and PGA Tour golfer Camilo Villegas.
Taurasi's star is rising on Madison Avenue. She's one of the few female athletes with her own signature shoe, the Nike Shox DT. Those kicks followed Air Taurasi sneakers for the Swoosh. She has made appearances for Gatorade and sported a milk moustache in a "Got Milk" ad.
Her agent, Lindsay Kagawa of Wasserman Media Group, believes Taurasi's appearance in the risqué issue will change how people look at her. And hopefully lead to more endorsement opportunities.
"Diana's feature in the magazine will expand people's perceptions of her — and that was our aim. Every woman is multi-dimensional and Diana's strength isn't constrained to her undeniable athletic resume. Her photos are fearless and beautiful and the shoot was a challenge that she embraced," Kagawa says in a statement.
Taurasi led Connecticut to three NCAA championships in a row from 2002-2004. She's more focused on collecting championship trophies than off-the-court marketing deals.
"I'm into the hardware business," she jokes.
