WNBA MVP Jackson poses nude

[Drbio]

SEATTLE -- WNBA Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson posed nude in an Australian magazine that features Olympic athletes who will compete in Athens.


The Seattle Storm forward participated in a seven-hour photo shoot last offseason in Sydney. The publication, called Black + White, includes 35 athletes and is expected to hit international newsstands next week.


Lauren Jackson, right, appears on the cover of the Athens tribute issue of "Black + White."



The 23-year-old Jackson appears on the cover of the Athens tribute issue, an artistic publication that also did pre-Olympic editions with Australian athletes in 1996 and 2000.


"I feel really comfortable with my body and the shape I'm in, and I know I'm not going to look like this forever," Jackson told The Seattle Times. "I was really nervous at first, but it was conquering one of my fears. I felt very much empowered at the end."


The magazine is expected to be on sale in the Seattle area Tuesday.


Storm spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said team officials supported Jackson in the project, done independently of the WNBA. O'Neil emphasized the context, saying it is considered an honor in Australia to appear in the magazine.


"In the States, when we think of a project like this it usually doesn't have the same connotation," O'Neil said.


The Storm managed a public relations flap last summer when standout guard Sue Bird backed out of a wager with a Seattle sports talk radio host. She had agreed to let the man spank her on the air if she lost the bet.


Bird quickly apologized, saying she had hoped to boost interest in the WNBA but failed to consider the specter of battered women.


Team officials said the two issues are separate and different.


After the Olympics, the magazine photos will be auctioned off to benefit charities. Jackson said she doesn't consider the project demeaning to women because it includes male Australian athletes.


Jackson was voted league MVP last season after averaging 21.2 points and 9.3 rebounds, both career highs. She became the first international player and the youngest to win the award.