Oklahoma City Thunder, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 64% (9 players with tattoos, 5 without)
It was only a couple of years ago that the Thunder had a reputation for being the least tattooed team in the league. OKC banner wavers DailyThunder.com addressed their lack of tattoos in two different 2009 columns, the first of which posited fewer tattoos=better players, at least for the Thunder. Granted, the team’s pre-trade starting five of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Nenad Krstic, Jeff Green and Thabo Sefolosha had only one visibly tattooed player, but there’s a lot of ink on that team. In fact, since the trade, only six teams have more tattooed players than the Thunder, and the affable, nice guys of Oklahoma City inexplicably have nine tattooed players, which ties them with the Denver Nuggets.
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Daequan Cook
Among Cook’s many (10+) tattoos are his daughter’s name and the words “Daddy’s Angel.”
Kevin Durant
Durant has a tattoo of his mother’s name, Wanda, on his chest and another design on his wrist. He may not get any more, however, because of the way it feels: “It was like getting pinched for 30 minutes straight. It wasn’t that bad. I don’t think I could take sitting there for two and three hours, just sitting there with them chipping away. That’s too much.”
Royal Ivey
Born and raised in New York, Ivey has a full back piece repping the city, with the statue of liberty, the twin towers, and the Queensboro bridge among other landmarks. In a Fanhouse video interview, he explained that “every one of my tattoos means something” and went on to explain the “eye of the beholder” design on his forearm: “you know, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and that’s the man above so that’s why I put it.”
Eric Maynor
In his senior year at Virginia Commonwealth, Maynor was the topic of a bit of controversy when photos on cover of the VCU media kit showed Maynor with his tattoos airbrushed out. VCU athletic director Norwood Teague explained to the Richmond Times Dispatch that “we try to take them off to present more of an even-keel image” and went on to say that, “we remove them all the time.”
Nazr Mohammed
Mohammed has his name tattooed on his left shoulder above a basketball passing through a hoop.
Byron Mullens
Mullens used go to by BJ Mullens, and has B tattooed on his left forearm and J tattooed on his right forearm. I actually thought this photo was a joke and so I went through and made sure he really had them.
Kendrick Perkins
Perkins has tattoos covering most of his arms, and they are just as opaque and intriguing as he is.
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.”
Thabo Sefolosha
Sefolosha’s two tattoos read “The Game Chose Me” and “God Guides My Steps.” In an NBA.com profile, he explained the designs: “Those are two things that are very important in my life: basketball and God.”
Players without tattoos:
Cole Aldrich
Nick Collison
James Harden
Serge Ibaka
Russell Westbrook
Oklahoma City Thunder, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 64% (9 players with tattoos, 5 without)
It was only a couple of years ago that the Thunder had a reputation for being the least tattooed team in the league. OKC banner wavers DailyThunder.com addressed their lack of tattoos in two different 2009 columns, the first of which posited fewer tattoos=better players, at least for the Thunder. Granted, the team’s pre-trade starting five of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Nenad Krstic, Jeff Green and Thabo Sefolosha had only one visibly tattooed player, but there’s a lot of ink on that team. In fact, since the trade, only six teams have more tattooed players than the Thunder, and the affable, nice guys of Oklahoma City inexplicably have nine tattooed players, which ties them with the Denver Nuggets.
—
Daequan Cook
Among Cook’s many (10+) tattoos are his daughter’s name and the words “Daddy’s Angel.”
Kevin Durant
Durant has a tattoo of his mother’s name, Wanda, on his chest and another design on his wrist. He may not get any more, however, because of the way it feels: “It was like getting pinched for 30 minutes straight. It wasn’t that bad. I don’t think I could take sitting there for two and three hours, just sitting there with them chipping away. That’s too much.”
Royal Ivey
Born and raised in New York, Ivey has a full back piece repping the city, with the statue of liberty, the twin towers, and the Queensboro bridge among other landmarks. In a Fanhouse video interview, he explained that “every one of my tattoos means something” and went on to explain the “eye of the beholder” design on his forearm: “you know, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and that’s the man above so that’s why I put it.”
Eric Maynor
In his senior year at Virginia Commonwealth, Maynor was the topic of a bit of controversy when photos on cover of the VCU media kit showed Maynor with his tattoos airbrushed out. VCU athletic director Norwood Teague explained to the Richmond Times Dispatch that “we try to take them off to present more of an even-keel image” and went on to say that, “we remove them all the time.”
Nazr Mohammed
Mohammed has his name tattooed on his left shoulder above a basketball passing through a hoop.
Byron Mullens
Mullens used go to by BJ Mullens, and has B tattooed on his left forearm and J tattooed on his right forearm. I actually thought this photo was a joke and so I went through and made sure he really had them.
Kendrick Perkins
Perkins has tattoos covering most of his arms, and they are just as opaque and intriguing as he is.
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.”
Thabo Sefolosha
Sefolosha’s two tattoos read “The Game Chose Me” and “God Guides My Steps.” In an NBA.com profile, he explained the designs: “Those are two things that are very important in my life: basketball and God.”
Players without tattoos:
Cole Aldrich
Nick Collison
James Harden
Serge Ibaka
Russell Westbrook
