Golden State Warriors, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 79% (11 players with tattoos, 3 without)
The Warriors’ tattoo percentage went up a bunch from last year. I am having a tough time with the Ellis/Bogut trade.
Players with tattoos:
Keith Benson
An Oakland Post report printed during Benson’s years with Oakland University describes the tattoos on both of his arms. On one arm is his nickname, “Kito” tattooed inside a basketball hoop. On the other, Benson has the words “killa instinct” which he describes as being about basketball: “You have to have the ‘killa instinct’ to defeat your opponent, not just play to play,” Benson said. “You have to cut them off and win.”
Andrew Bogut
Bogut has a tattoo on his back but he’s not really willing to discuss it. “The tattoo is a mix of things, a lot of it is kind of personal,” he explained in an NBA.com chat. “There’s some Australian stuff and also some Croatian stuff in it.”
Stephen Curry
A Sports Illustrated profile in 2009 described Curry’s minimal tattoo: “His lone tattoo, discreetly inked on the inside of his left wrist, is the motto of Davidson, the small college he guided to the Elite Eight in 2008. “T.C.C.”: Trust, Commitment, Care.”
Mickell Gladness
Gladness has a full sleeve on his left arm.
Richard Jefferson
One of the most universally derided tattoos in the league, Jefferson’s left shoulder is marked with his initials, which are circled with some cursive text reading “God Family Brothers Parents.” But like elementary school cursive, not the script that most tattoos tend towards. Also the white space in the letter R is a basketball. Looks a lot like it was drawn for/by a child.
David Lee
Lee has his initials tattooed over his right shoulder blade.
Dominic McGuire
The tattoo on McGuire’s right shoulder, of a child holding out its open hands, is one of my all time favorites. Somebody please interview him and ask him what it’s about!
Nate Robinson
Another heavily tattooed Seattle native, Robinson is likely one of the most tattooed in the league, which makes sense, given how early he started: “I was thirteen when I got my first tattoo, and it was the Iverson bulldog because Iverson had it. It says Mr. Robinson at the bottom.”
Brandon Rush
In November of 2011, Native Ink tattoo posted a photo of a design done for Rush that reads “Truly Blessed” in a really strong script.
Jeremy Tyler
Tyler infamously dropped out of high school to play professional basketball in Israel at the age of 17. During his season with the Maccabi Haifa Heat, Howard Schneider profiled Tyler for the Washington Post, opening the article with a description of the many tattoos Tyler had collected while abroad:
Jeremy Tyler displays his life in tattoos. The “S” and “D” on the 18-year-old’s hands are his roots in San Diego, where he sacrificed a high school diploma for professional basketball. The dreamy Virgo design draping down the left shoulder of his 6-foot-11, 260-pound body, encompassing the names of relatives and a basketball, are his aspiration to support his family through his craft. There is a spot for his girlfriend’s name, the initials of a recently deceased friend, and angel wings on his back
Dorell Wright
In 2009, tattoo artist Raphael Gere Rodriguez posted photos of the “love hate skull” design he did for Wright. I didn’t even know “love hate skull” was a thing.
Players without tattoos:
Andris Biedrins
Charles Jenkins: Henry Abbott reported for ESPN that Jenkins was asked why he didn’t have any tattoos, to which he replied, “You ever see a bumper sticker on a Maybach?”
Klay Thompson
No longer on roster:
Chris Wright: no tattoos
Golden State Warriors, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 79% (11 players with tattoos, 3 without)
The Warriors’ tattoo percentage went up a bunch from last year. I am having a tough time with the Ellis/Bogut trade.
Players with tattoos:
Keith Benson
An Oakland Post report printed during Benson’s years with Oakland University describes the tattoos on both of his arms. On one arm is his nickname, “Kito” tattooed inside a basketball hoop. On the other, Benson has the words “killa instinct” which he describes as being about basketball: “You have to have the ‘killa instinct’ to defeat your opponent, not just play to play,” Benson said. “You have to cut them off and win.”
Andrew Bogut
Bogut has a tattoo on his back but he’s not really willing to discuss it. “The tattoo is a mix of things, a lot of it is kind of personal,” he explained in an NBA.com chat. “There’s some Australian stuff and also some Croatian stuff in it.”
Stephen Curry
A Sports Illustrated profile in 2009 described Curry’s minimal tattoo: “His lone tattoo, discreetly inked on the inside of his left wrist, is the motto of Davidson, the small college he guided to the Elite Eight in 2008. “T.C.C.”: Trust, Commitment, Care.”
Mickell Gladness
Gladness has a full sleeve on his left arm.
Richard Jefferson
One of the most universally derided tattoos in the league, Jefferson’s left shoulder is marked with his initials, which are circled with some cursive text reading “God Family Brothers Parents.” But like elementary school cursive, not the script that most tattoos tend towards. Also the white space in the letter R is a basketball. Looks a lot like it was drawn for/by a child.
David Lee
Lee has his initials tattooed over his right shoulder blade.
Dominic McGuire
The tattoo on McGuire’s right shoulder, of a child holding out its open hands, is one of my all time favorites. Somebody please interview him and ask him what it’s about!
Nate Robinson
Another heavily tattooed Seattle native, Robinson is likely one of the most tattooed in the league, which makes sense, given how early he started: “I was thirteen when I got my first tattoo, and it was the Iverson bulldog because Iverson had it. It says Mr. Robinson at the bottom.”
Brandon Rush
In November of 2011, Native Ink tattoo posted a photo of a design done for Rush that reads “Truly Blessed” in a really strong script.
Jeremy Tyler
Tyler infamously dropped out of high school to play professional basketball in Israel at the age of 17. During his season with the Maccabi Haifa Heat, Howard Schneider profiled Tyler for the Washington Post, opening the article with a description of the many tattoos Tyler had collected while abroad:
Jeremy Tyler displays his life in tattoos. The “S” and “D” on the 18-year-old’s hands are his roots in San Diego, where he sacrificed a high school diploma for professional basketball. The dreamy Virgo design draping down the left shoulder of his 6-foot-11, 260-pound body, encompassing the names of relatives and a basketball, are his aspiration to support his family through his craft. There is a spot for his girlfriend’s name, the initials of a recently deceased friend, and angel wings on his back
Dorell Wright
In 2009, tattoo artist Raphael Gere Rodriguez posted photos of the “love hate skull” design he did for Wright. I didn’t even know “love hate skull” was a thing.
Players without tattoos:
Andris Biedrins
Charles Jenkins: Henry Abbott reported for ESPN that Jenkins was asked why he didn’t have any tattoos, to which he replied, “You ever see a bumper sticker on a Maybach?”
Klay Thompson
No longer on roster:
Chris Wright: no tattoos
