10.28.13
INSIDE 10 THE TRUTH The NCAA’s shell game. By Howard Bryant 12 THE NUMBERS The formula for finding WRs. By Peter Keating 16 ZOOM Relive the Heat’s title, one stitch at a time. 18 ZOOM Hanley Ramirez laughs at your shiny helmet. 20 ZOOM Bringing “Tippy Toe” Joe Johnson to life. 108 THE FIX Lanny Wiles’ Augusta story. By Chris Jones
PLAYBOOK 23 NFL Von Miller returns with an extra edge. 30 COLLEGE FOOTBALL Phil Steele’s midseason crystal ball. 32 BODY SHOT Who you callin’ fat? Not this sumo champ. 34 SOCCER Everton’s manager talks EPL chances. 36 NHL Five things to know about Logan Couture. 40 SPORTIFACT Naismith’s “Basket Ball” rules coming home. 42 TRENDING Let the sneakerhead swarm begin!
FEATURES 45 THE L e BRON ISSUE Love him or hate him, it’s now LeBron’s NBA. And as has been said all along, we are all witnesses.
60 L e BRON CONFIDENTIAL The inside scoop on what 26 NBA peers really think about LeBron’s 2014 plans, his flopping and more.
46 THE KING JAMES VERSION A sit-down with the King: LeBron on his relationship with teammates, his killer instinct and how he plans to stay on top. By Chris Broussard
62 THE ALPHA BET With two titles in three years, the LeBron/D-Wade partnership has been a grand success. But is it sustainable? By Brian Windhorst
cover photograph by CHRIS McPHERSON THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPH BY DAN WONDERLY; COLLAGE BY ERIN JANG; GETTY IMAGES (JAMES HEADS); LOGO DESIGN BY LAMOSCA
70 POSTERIZED! A LeBron dunk survivor lives to tell about it. As told to Sam Alipour
90 ... NOT TWO? Why you-know-who’s three-peat is anything but a sure thing.
72 THE LOST STORIES OF L e BRON JAMES Three Ohioans intertwined by their dreams: One massively succeeded, one tragically failed and one rode a T-shirt to fame. By Eli Saslow, Pablo S. Torre and Hunter Atkins
104 ESPN THE PREDICTIONS One page, 12 experts, 180 opinions. 106 THE HEADBAND TALKS BACK LeBron found out the hard way: Headband don’t lie. By Ty Wenger
10/28/2013 ESPN The Magazine
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