FaZe Clan appears on the July cover of Sports Illustrated

Olivia Richman Published 11/06/2021

A number of FaZe Clan members are featured in the July issue of Sports Illustrated. 

Sports Illustrated is one of the largest print magazines in America, long having focused on traditional sports. Having FaZe Clan on the cover is a huge moment for the esports industry as a whole, giving traditional sports fans and the general public an inside look into what being in the esports world is all about. Some of the FaZe Clan members featured on the cover include Lebron James’ son Bronny James and Nicholas “NICKMERCS” Kolcheff.

“FaZe Clan isn’t just a gaming organization. We have pro players, content creators, athletes… It’s a team that’s more like a family coming together to create content and inspire the youth,” FaZe Clan content creator Kris “FaZe Swagg” Lamberson said. 

FaZe Clan didn’t just get a cover on the coveted magazine. There was also a cover story written for the organization. Author Rohan Nadkarni followed the story of FaZe Clan’s origin. The story explains how the organization became one of the most influential gaming brands in the world. 

After the cover was revealed to the world, FaZe Clan released some social media content highlighting the momentous accomplishment. This included FaZe Clan members reacting to seeing the Sports Illustrated issue and sharing some behind-the-scenes footage of how the cover was created. 

FaZe Clan isn’t the first esports representative to be on the cover of a traditional magazine. GQ Japan recently featured an Overwatch League player, Sean Taiyo “ta1yo” Henderson. And League of Legends veteran Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok has graced a couple of publications as well. But none of those quite measure up to the size and stature of Sports Illustrated.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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