29 years ago today, Tupac Shakur was murdered near Las Vegas after leaving a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand. This issue of The Source magazine was his first appearance on the cover, just two years prior to his death.

Swipe to see a Reebok ad featuring Steve Smith, Shawn Kemp, and Dominique Wilkins, as well as an ad for Xanthus, a sneaker company endorsed by Xavier McDaniel.

On the first full football Saturday of the year, here’s the first issue of Sports Illustrated to feature a college football player on the cover, Iowa’s Calvin Jones.

Inside, an article about Notre Dame features color photos of their 26-year-old (!) head coach Terry Brennan.

Five months before Sports Illustrated made LeBron James a household name, the 16-year-old high school junior graced the cover of Basketball America: The National Basketball Monthly, a recruiting-focused publication with (presumably) a minuscule circulation.

This issue is newsprint and oversized, so it won’t get pressed or slabbed, but I’m happy to have this little piece of LBJ history as he nears an apparently golf-filled retirement.

Swipe for a reminder of just how long Windy has been covering LeBron. ➡

Tiger Woods on the cover of Sports Illustrated 26 years ago today.

I always felt this was a bland cover for what was a really memorable showdown between 24-year-old Tiger and 19-year-old Sergio Garcia at Medinah Country Club in Illinois. As Tiger stumbled down the stretch, Sergio was a jolt of energy, swinging blindly near tree trunks, bounding down fairways, even shooting Tiger a look after draining a long birdie putt on the 13th. No one watching that day would have predicted a near-two decade wait for Sergio to capture his first major.

Count me among those who wish the PGA never moved from its late August spot on the schedule!

Happy Fourth of July