LEBRON INC.

LeBron Inc.

Why the King Should Keep His Court in Cleveland

Act I “There’s only one place they call me one of their own… These are my streets, the only life I’ve ever known. Who says you can’t go home”- Bon Jovi

The King was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. Ask any lifelong resident of Cleveland, and they’ll tell you it makes perfect sense that LeBron James was born during the apex of the holiday season; he’s been one of the biggest gifts the city has ever received.

It was apparent from an early age that LeBron was different from the others, and his talents on the basketball court were nothing short of astounding. He was a virtuoso, Michelangelo operating with a Spalding instead of a paintbrush, conducting fast-breaks like Mozart did his symphonies. While his peers were spending their high school years dealing with normal adolescent issues, James was achieving goals never before accomplished. He was named to USA Today’s All-USA First Team an unprecedented three times, and won the title of “Mr. Basketball” of Ohio three times as well. By his 16th birthday, his trademark moniker – “King James” – was becoming a household name. He appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated, SLAM and ESPN The Magazine all before his high school graduation. LeBron Raymone James, before his 18th birthday, was the most talked about and sought after athlete in the country.

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JOHN NEYROT – PAINTED PICTURES

The old adage ‘a picture’s worth a thousand words’ in this case is an understatement. Meet John Neyrot, artist, photographer and famed body painter. His canvas, more than inspiring, beautifully sculpted naked women who at the end of his masterpiece become human murals of some of the most aesthetic pleasing art to the human eye. Beginning his creative journey at a young age doodling and drawing on his notebooks, Neyrot’s hobby became his bread and butter when he realized his passion and talent for photography could sustain him financially.

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ATHLETE BY WALTER IOOSS

Walter Iooss never thought he would be a professional photographer. As a teenager, it was just a hobby. But then at age 18, he got his first assignment for Sports Illustrated.

Michael Jordan Lisel, IL – 1987

No one captured Michael Jordan’s personality, his joy for the game, or his most personal moments, the way Walter Iooss has. For this photograph, Walter trekked to Jordan’s basketball camp for kids in Lisel, Illinois. He had one side of a parking lot painted red and another side blue, not knowing which uniform Jordan would wear to the shoot. When Jordan arrived, Iooss perched himself above the rim in a cherry-picker and had an hour to capture Jordan with the proper light and shadow. In later years, Jordan would never do an hour-long shoot. “When he played those two seasons for the Wizards,” says Iooss, “he never posed for a single photographer.”

He was to photograph and octogenarian sailor in Connecticut, who had built a boat with no plans and sailed it to Florida and back. Similarly with no plans, Iooss built an unparalleled photographic collection that has captured virtually every icon of professional sport: Ali, Jordan, Pele, Koufax, Gretzky, Unitas, Arnie and Tiger among hundreds of others. He has also photographed the most beautiful women on the planet for the world famous Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. “If you’ve got the best looking women on the planet and the best locations, it isn’t that hard,” Iooss says. Turning the pages of Iooss’ book, Athlete, is like taking a visual tour through the last fifty years of American sports history. From Kyle Rote to Brett Favre, from Wilt to LeBron, Iooss’ camera has focused on the icons of every major sport under the brightest lights looking for the story not yet told. This feature is just a small representation on the colossal body of artwork that Iooss has created and continues to expand every day.

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JILL WAGNER

“The Mercury Girl” Making Her Mark In Hollywood

You might have seen her on Maxim’s list of Hot 100 Women or possibly in FHM, perhaps you recognize her face from the Lincoln Mercury commercials; regardless of where, Jill Wagner standing at 5’ 8” is hard to forget! A North Cacalacky native, Jill graduated Sigma Cum Laude in Business from North Carolina State, which means, yes gentlemen she is more than just a pretty face. Packing her bags and heading to Los Angeles on gut feeling, Jill quickly made her mark in Hollywood. Initially signing with friend and modeling agent Alex Fox from CSD, Jill realized the modeling world was not for her. Going on calls, walking into a room full of hundreds of women that looked just like her, seemed pointless. Luckily it only lasted a short while, after landing a job on MTV’s hit television series Punk’d, as the shows first female regular sketch performer, Jill began her acting career. Her charm and incredible sense of humor kept opportunity knocking, and soon guest star roles on series such as Monk on USA, Quintuplets on Fox, and a recurring role on Dr. Vegas for CBS began to open up.

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MSG’S RING CARD GIRLS

MSG’s Ring Card Girls – Always Get A Nice Reaction From The Fans

WORDS BY mike schoepski photos BY george kalinsky

Madison Square Garden, known as the “Mecca of Boxing” has been staging world-class fights for over 100 years! The greatest fighters in the world – Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Joe Louis, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and the current heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko – have all plied their trade inside The Garden’s famous ropes…

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