Malakai Fekitoa is an athlete in ESPN The Magazine's ninth annual Body Issue. Source: ESPN / E:60
Highlanders star Malakai Fekitoa may have been dropped from the national side but he has made it into one of the most sought-after magazine issues in the world.
Fekitoa is one of 23 athletes from around the world who will feature in the The Body Issue of ESPN The Magazine.
The magazine is heavily promoted and is seen by many athletes as a prestigious one in which to appear.
Fekitoa is joined in the magazine by the likes of tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, basketballer Isaiah Thomas and American footballer Ezekiel Elliott.
Fekitoa is believed to be the first Kiwi athlete and only the second rugby player to be featured in The Body Issue.
All 23 of the athletes featured in the issue appear naked, with some discreetly placed sporting equipment or camera angles.
It is not known when Fekitoa did his photo shoot or how it came about.
The magazine comes out early next month.
Fekitoa in the promotional video from ESPN. Photo / via video
Fekitoa, who did not make the All Blacks squad to play the British and Irish Lions, is on a break from the Highlanders. The side will come together again to start training later this week.
The outside back's contract is up at the end of the year and there is much speculation he will pursue a contract overseas.
Meanwhile, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki has overshadowed Fekitoa, NFL stars and a UFC glamour girl in the nude photo showdown, claiming the cover shot for the 2017 edition.
Ranked sixth in the world, Wozniacki told the magazine she has fully embraced the skin she's in, and listens to what critics have to say - even if she doesn't agree with it.
"I think being in the public eye and getting judged for everything you do and however you look, I think that helped me," the 26-year-old tennis star told ESPN.
"Just saying, 'You know what? People will have an opinion. Some people will love you; some people will not'."
Wozniacki during the photo shoot. Photo / Supplied
Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. Photo / Supplied
This isn't the first time Wozniacki has bared her body in the name of empowerment, having stripped down for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit edition last year.
NBA star Thomas, who had a breakout season to lead the Boston Celtics to the best regular season record in the Eastern Conference, revealed how he built up his famously tiny frame to compete against a league of monsters.
The 1.75m, 84kg, basketballer was overlooked as a high draft pick before falling to the 60th overall pick in the 2011 draft.
He revealed that bodybuilding has been a big part of his life since he was a teenager in high school.
"I mean, the things that I'm doing, if I were 6-5 or 6-6, it would be magnified even more, talked about even more," Thomas said.
"And that's how it's been my whole career - my whole life. I've never been given a fair shake, even to this day. I always say nothing's been given to me. I always took what I believe is mine, and I always took advantage of the opportunity that I've got. And not to put anything against the bigger guys, but for the most part, they're handed a lot.
"Us little guys in the gutter, we're not handed anything. We're not given the benefit of the doubt. They always overlook us.
"If I were taller, the season I had would be getting even more attention. For sure. There's no doubt about that. People always try to find something that I don't do well, or that the small guy doesn't do well, and put it against him.
"For instance, when you're smaller they always say you're a defensive liability. If somebody scores on a 6-5 guy, it's like, 'Oh, that's good offence.' If somebody scores on a 5-9 guy, it's like, 'Oh, he's a liability; he's too small.' It's always something.
"If I were 6-3 or 6-5, I'd be the best player in the world. No doubt about it. And that's not just me thinking that; I mean, the world would think that."
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot's ride to the top of sport has been a little easier.
NFL star Ezekiel Elliott. Photo / Supplied
He told ESPN after his striking shoot that he has never been scared of showing off his frame.
"Since I was younger, I've never really liked to wear shirts. And I still don't like to wear shirts, so, I mean, you'll find me with my shirt off a lot," he told ESPN.
Chicago Cubs baseball star Javier Baez is also featured in the magazine, showing off his body while striking a pose with a bat.
Among the artistically posed nude athletes in the magazine are Patriots Super Bowl hero Julian Edelman, San Jose ice hockey bearded cult-heroes Brent Burns and Joe Thornton, husband and wife duo Zach Ertz (NFL) and Julie Ertz, and WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike.
