Powerful Women Athletes Who Stripped Down for ESPN's Body Issue

May 10, 2024

No body issues here! Eight powerful women athletes posed naked for ESPN’s 2019 Body Issue, and the images are stunning. Proclaiming “every body has a story,” the final print edition of ESPN drops tomorrow, featuring 21 athletes in total. The women represented include a soccer player, an MMA fighter, a paralympian, a gymnast, a CrossFit champion, a basketball player, a retired point guard and a surfer, and they all remind us of the power of the human body — and spirit.

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens attend a game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center on January 29, 2024 in Houston, Texas.

The images themselves aren’t the only beautiful result of the photo shoot. As gymnast Katelyn Ohashi put it, “I have gone through eating disorders and body shaming, and here I am today doing this shoot for millions of people to see.” Similarly, Katrin Davidsdottir, a two-time CrossFit Games champion, told ESPN that she is “so proud of every single muscle” in her body. Shooting in the nude for a major magazine is one way to break down one’s insecurities, and all eight women exude pride and confidence in the photographs. There is nothing more powerful than a woman who knows her worth, knows her value, and isn’t afraid to be herself. Scroll through the slideshow to see the incredible athletes pose with nothing between them and the camera.

Amanda Nunes
“Everything that I wanted to do, I did it,” mixed martial artist Nunes told ESPN. “Now I enjoy this moment because I work hard for these moments. Now I really can look in the mirror and say, ‘We did it. I did it.’”
Scout Bassett
“Nothing in the world is going to bring me back my leg, so I just had to accept that,” Bassett told ESPN. “I don’t need to hide it or to be embarrassed about it.” The paralympian lost her leg in a chemical fire when she was an infant.
Nancy Lieberman
“I want to see moms, housewives, athletes go, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe she looks like that. She’s 60. I can do that too,'” the retired point guard and former WNBA and NBA coach said. “It’s important to take care of yourself.”
Liz Cambage
“Normal is boring, and it’s about time we start doing things differently for the outliers,” the WNBA scoring leader said.
Lacey Peterson
“Riding a wave is this emotionless, beautiful thing that you just feel so present,” the pro surfer said. “You stand up, and anything that you’re worried about or stressed about, it just goes away.”
Kelley O’Hara
“From the outside, playing in the World Cup looks awesome. Nobody realizes how hard it really is,” the two-time World Cup champion said. “Like, it’s not fun. The nerves and the weight of expectation are not enjoyable. But if something’s easy, it’s not worth doing.”
Katrin Davidsdottir
“I’m so proud of every single muscle of my body,” said Davidsdottir, a two-time CrossFit Games champion. “I had to work for it. I had to earn that. They don’t just show up.”
Katelyn Ohashi
“I feel really accepting of the things I used to be insecure about,” Ohashi, a gymnast, said. “I have gone through eating disorders and body shaming, and here I am today doing this shoot for millions of people to see.”Katelyn Ohashi