A full-time member of the Sports Illustrated staff since September 1997, L. Jon Wertheim is one of the magazine's most versatile writers, as he covers a broad range of topics including tennis, the NBA, sports business and social issues. Wertheim is also a frequent contributor to SI.com and writes the Tennis Mailbag for the Website. His work was included in the 2005, 2006 and 2007 edition of The Best American Sports Writing anthology.

Wertheim has tackled many serious social issues for the magazine, including hazing, performance-enhancing drugs, mental illness, athlete stalkers, as well as the attitudes toward homosexuality in sports. His May 4, 1998 cover story, "Paternity Ward," addressed the issue of athletes and their illegitimate children, receiving widespread national coverage and a nomination for a national magazine award.

Wertheim is the author of a forthcoming book "Blood in the Cage," an examination of the rise of mixed martial arts and the culture of Ultimate Fighting. His last book, "Running the Table," told the story of pool hustler Kid Delicious. He is also the author of a basketball book, "Transition Game" (Putnam 2005), and a tennis book, "Venus Envy" (HarperCollins 2001). Wertheim has partnered with Jack McCallum, also an SI senior writer, to co-author the novel Foul Lines (Touchstone/Fireside 2006).

A member of the New York Bar Association, Wertheim received a B.A. from Yale in 1993 and a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1997. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative. He lives in New York City with his wife, Ellie, a divorce mediator, and their two children.

Summer 2008