Which magazine put LeBron James on a 2002 cover labeled The Chosen One?

Sports Illustrated put LeBron James on its 2002 cover labeled “The Chosen One.”

The issue was published on February 18, 2002, when James was still a high-school junior at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. He had not yet played in the NBA, but his performances and national television exposure had already made him one of basketball’s most famous prospects.

The cover helped turn James from a highly regarded schoolboy player into a national sports phenomenon. Its headline became closely associated with his public identity, and James later adopted “Chosen 1” as a personal slogan and tattoo reference.

Readers sometimes confuse the cover with later profiles in GQ, ESPN The Magazine, or Time. Those publications also featured James, but Sports Illustrated produced the famous 2002 “The Chosen One” cover—the one that appeared before his 2003 NBA draft and professional debut.