LeBron James and his fauxrench name will grace the April cover of Vogue magazine, making him the third male in the history of the magazine to do so. (That’s for American Vogue, btdubs. French Vogue had this awesome cover featuring André J. who totes almost hit us with his purse once on Bleecker Street but then held the door for us once at Republic in Union Square. He is made of magic.):

Wearing a tank top, shorts and sneakers from his own Nike clothing line, James appears on the cover dribbling a basketball and screaming as if in game mode while throwing one arm around supermodel Gisele Bundchen with Tom Brady nowhere to be found.

The pairing of the All-Star forward and the runway icon was shot in January by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz in James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio.

Personal quibble: Are there really no other celebrity photographers in existence? Jesus.

Vogue is featuring athletes and models in an annual issue devoted to size and shape. The 6-foot-9 James and 5-foot-11 Bundchen, who dates Patriots star quarterback Brady, were a natural pairing.

“Nobody says more about fashion size and shape than Gisele and LeBron,” Vogue spokesman Patrick O’Connell said. “LeBron is an amazing star and athlete that has crossed over into a cultural phenomena.”

Nobody says more about fashion size and shape, whatever that means, than maybe a short, fat woman in a pretty dress. But our we once thought cargo pants were a good idea so, really, what do we know about fashion anyway. So, yeah, putting a ridiculously good looking athlete and a tall, svelte, gorgeous supermodel on your cover: Real avant-garde, guys. No one saw that one coming.

James to Grace Vogue’s Cover [AP]