David Lee’s tattoo revealed

In the 4th quarter of last night’s win against Portland, David Lee’s elbow was cut in a little tangle with LaMarcus Aldridge and a timeout was called to stop the bleeding. As described by announcer Jim Barnett, “the front of his jersey’s all bloody, that arm is bleeding.” Lee was forced to change his uni, revealing the tattoo on his right shoulder blade - his initials. I’ve noted in the past that the design has always been impossible to make out. I have to say, given the placement, lettering, and decision to include periods after each letter, this is a much weirder tattoo than “initials on right shoulder blade” could possibly communicate.



NBA tattoos


2012-13 NBA overall tattoo percentage: 56%
250 players with tattoos, 196 without [details]


2011-12 NBA overall tattoo percentage: 55% [details]
2010-11 NBA overall tattoo percentage: 53% [details]

A player-by-player, team-by-team guide to tattoos in the NBA. It is not an attempt to document every tattoo of every player–rather it is an attempt to provide a series of tools for sorting overall tattoo statistics in the NBA alongside glimpses into tattoo trends. Click on any team name below for player details of that team:

Hawks - Celtics - Nets - Bobcats - Bulls - Cavaliers
Mavericks - Nuggets - Pistons - Warriors - Rockets - Pacers
Clippers - Lakers - Grizzlies - Heat - Bucks - Timberwolves
Hornets - Knicks - Thunder - Magic - Sixers - Suns
Trail Blazers - Kings - Spurs - Raptors - Jazz - Wizards

Click HERE for a complete list of NBA players discussed on this blog.

Disclaimer: This info is collected completely anecdotally, mostly by watching games, but also through study of photos, interviews, and player profiles. It’s very likely that tattoos have gone unobserved or remain hidden, especially on non-superstar players. Every effort has been made to present the best possible information, but statistics should not be considered definitive. Please use Ask Me to share any relevant information.