Artist Alexis Franklin Illustrates 2020 Sportsperson of the Year Covers

Artist Alexis Franklin illustrated each of Sports Illustrated's five Sportsperson of the Year covers.

Artist Alexis Franklin illustrated each of Sports Illustrated's five Sportsperson of the Year covers, which celebrate LeBron James, Breanna Stewart, Patrick Mahomes, Naomi Osaka and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.

The annual honor was announced on Sunday.

Franklin, a 24-year-old from Dallas, gained renown earlier this year for her covers of Anita Hill for Time and Breonna Taylor for O, The Oprah Magazine. 

Presenting the #Sportsperson of the Year: The Activist Athlete.

Congratulations to five who inspired in 2020: @KingJames, @breannastewart, @PatrickMahomes, @naomiosaka and @LaurentDTardif https://t.co/uLEiwWyaDO pic.twitter.com/6i6DSqw0wN

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 6, 2020

"We felt the emotion and depth she conveys by infusing an ancient art form with cutting-edge technology would perfectly capture the spirit of our honorees," SI's editors wrote in a magazine note announcing this year's winners. "As you can see from the finished products: Franklin and her objective have become one."

Illustrations by Alexis Franklin

This year's group of honorees celebrates the athlete activist, recognizing five athletes who, in the words of SI's editors, "were champions in every sense of the word: champions on the field, champions for others off it."

SI's 2020 Sportsperson of the Year: The Activist Athlete

It also marked just the fifth time that a group of athletes has won the award. James additionally became the first athlete to be named SI's Sportsperson of the Year three times, having previously won the award in 2012 and 2016.

Franklin works full-time as a videographer for her church. More of her work can be seen here. 

Check out SI's honorees’ stories in more detail here on SI.com beginning tomorrow.