Washington Wizards, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 47% (7 players with tattoos, 8 without)
The Wizards have a lower tattoo percentage than last year.
Players with tattoos:
Trevor Ariza
Among Ariza’s many tattoos are 5 designs dedicated to his younger brother, who died when they were both children. As described by a New Orleans Times-Picayune profile, these tributes are, “displayed on Ariza’s arms, chest and neck and include a sketch of Tajh’s likeness, clasped hands in prayer over Tajh’s name, and on the inside of Ariza’s left forearm, the words ‘Blood is thicker than water. I am my brother’s keeper. Rest in peace, Tajh. I miss you.’”
Leandro Barbosa
Among Barbosa’s few tattoos is the text “Love, sacrifice, and union” on the back of his neck.
Bradley Beal
A good percentage of Beal’s tattoos are dedicated to his family. As described by a recent Washington Post profile, his right arm features “four descending stars, with the letters B-E-A-L inside, and names of his four siblings — Brandon, Bruce, Byron and Bryon — to the right of the stars. The names of his parents, Bobby and Besta, arch above them all.” The article also mentions that his mother accompanied Beal to his first tattoo session, and that he was fifteen years old at the time.
Trevor Booker
A Washington Post profile printed at the beginning of the 2010-11 season praised Booker for his tenacity, and described a tattoo that represents the distillation of his attitude: “Booker wears his motto tattooed across his chest. It reads, ‘I am free of all prejudice/I hate all opponents equally.’
Cartier Martin
In the summer of 2011, Martin had the words “Beware of the Grind” tattooed on his left arm.
Kevin Seraphin
Normally hidden by his jersey, Seraphin has an elaborate tattoo of an angel on his back.
Martell Webster
Webster was raised by his great-aunt Beulah Walker, a relationship explored in a 2006 Washington Post article. The piece describes Webster’s first two tattoos, and his process of asking his great-aunt for permission:
Shortly after he was drafted, Webster convinced Walker to let him get a tattoo of her eyes on his left shoulder and of Jesus on his right. “He said, ‘With you on my left side and Jesus watching me on my right side, I’m going to make it.’ So I said ‘Yes.’ Cause I’m a very religious woman,” said Walker, who added that she hates tattoos.
Players without tattoos:
Jason Collins
Nene
Emeka Okafor
A.J. Price
Chris Singleton
Garrett Temple
Jan Vesely
John Wall
Indiana Pacers, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 50% (7 players with tattoos; 7 without)
Last year, I used this space to complain about Jeff Foster and Josh McRoberts, neither of whom are now on the Pacers. More embarrassingly, the accompanying photo of Solomon Jones is from his days on the Hawks. While the Pacers have one of the lowest tattoo percentages of NBA teams, I have to say their tattoos are really interesting and kind of unsolvable, which I appreciate.
Players with tattoos:
Lou Amundson
Amundson’s sole tattoo was described in a 2009 Phoenix New Times article about tattoos on the Suns. That Phoenix team included Shaq, STAT, and Matt Barnes, so the article is mostly given over to their work, but buried in the text is this heartbreaking description of Amundson’s tattoo: “It’s on the right side of his chest and has the words “R.I.P. 34” surrounded by flames. He got the tattoo to commemorate the life of his best friend, Billy Feeney, a teammate at Monarch High School in Louisville, Colorado, and a player for the University of New Mexico Lobos. Feeney hanged himself in August 2003. Amundson doubts he’ll get another tattoo.”
Leandro Barbosa
Barbosa has a tribute to his mother tattooed on his ribs.
Paul George
George has a pretty great chess-themed sleeve on his left arm.
George Hill
In May of 2011, Hill posted a photo of a new tattoo on his twitter page. The design features the state of Indiana with a star emerging from Hill’s birthplace, Indianapolis. In June of 2011, Hill was traded from the Spurs to the Pacers. Homecoming!
Dahntay Jones
Another Pacer representing his home state through tattoo is Jones, born in Trenton, whose right shoulder shows the state of New Jersey wearing a crown.
Lance Stephenson
Playing in a summer league at the age of 15, Stephenson so impressed Bobbito Garcia that Bobbito gave him the nickname “Born Ready,” citing the young guard’s ability to go up against older players, even NBA players. Stephenson had the nickname tattooed on his shoulder alongside the skyline of Coney Island, where he grew up.
David West
For a 2008 Sports Illustrated profile, West discussed the tattoos on his wrist, one reading “LIVE FREE” and the other reading “BLACK SOUL.” He described the former as “self-explanatory,” but was much more enigmatic about the latter: “It has to do with a dark mystery I’m associated with; I won’t talk about that.”
Players without tattoos:
Darren Collison
Kyrylo Fesenko
Danny Granger
Tyler Hansbrough
Roy Hibbert
Jeff Pendergraph
A.J. Price
No longer on roster:
Jeff Foster: no tattoos
Indiana Pacers 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 40% (6 players with tattoos, 9 without)
The Pacers recent play underscores the fallacy of the tattoos=thug equation, as neither Josh McRoberts nor Jeff Foster have tattoos.
—
Players with tattoos:
Paul George
George has tattoos along his right arm from his shoulder to his wrist.
Solomon Jones
Jones has tattoos on both arms.
Dahntay Jones
Among his many tattoos, Jones has the words “Never Satisfied” although in this picture you can only see the word “Satisfied” which would be a cool tattoo for a different person I guess.
James Posey
On Posey’s left shoulder is a tattoo of the letter P, a basketball going through a hoop, and the letter Z. If the basketball is viewed as the letter O, the tattoo phonetically spells out his name: P-O-Z.
Brandon Rush
Rush has a collection of tattoos along both arms.
Lance Stephenson
At the age of 16, Stephenson was given the nickname “Born Ready” by Bobbito Garcia. Bobbito founded the greatest independent rap label of the 90s, Fondle Em, and introduced me to maybe half of my favorite songs via his radio show with Stretch Armstrong, so I’m always ready to take his word for whatever. Apparently Stephenson feels the same way, as the had the nickname tattooed on his right shoulder alongside a figure with a basketball and an outline of Coney Island’s skyline (where he grew up).
Players without tattoos:
Darren Collison
Mike Dunleavy
T.J. Ford
Jeff Foster
Danny Granger
Tyler Hansbrough
Roy Hibbert
Josh McRoberts
A.J. Price
Washington Wizards, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 47% (7 players with tattoos, 8 without)
The Wizards have a lower tattoo percentage than last year.
Players with tattoos:
Trevor Ariza
Among Ariza’s many tattoos are 5 designs dedicated to his younger brother, who died when they were both children. As described by a New Orleans Times-Picayune profile, these tributes are, “displayed on Ariza’s arms, chest and neck and include a sketch of Tajh’s likeness, clasped hands in prayer over Tajh’s name, and on the inside of Ariza’s left forearm, the words ‘Blood is thicker than water. I am my brother’s keeper. Rest in peace, Tajh. I miss you.’”
Leandro Barbosa
Among Barbosa’s few tattoos is the text “Love, sacrifice, and union” on the back of his neck.
Bradley Beal
A good percentage of Beal’s tattoos are dedicated to his family. As described by a recent Washington Post profile, his right arm features “four descending stars, with the letters B-E-A-L inside, and names of his four siblings — Brandon, Bruce, Byron and Bryon — to the right of the stars. The names of his parents, Bobby and Besta, arch above them all.” The article also mentions that his mother accompanied Beal to his first tattoo session, and that he was fifteen years old at the time.
Trevor Booker
A Washington Post profile printed at the beginning of the 2010-11 season praised Booker for his tenacity, and described a tattoo that represents the distillation of his attitude: “Booker wears his motto tattooed across his chest. It reads, ‘I am free of all prejudice/I hate all opponents equally.’
Cartier Martin
In the summer of 2011, Martin had the words “Beware of the Grind” tattooed on his left arm.
Kevin Seraphin
Normally hidden by his jersey, Seraphin has an elaborate tattoo of an angel on his back.
Martell Webster
Webster was raised by his great-aunt Beulah Walker, a relationship explored in a 2006 Washington Post article. The piece describes Webster’s first two tattoos, and his process of asking his great-aunt for permission:
Shortly after he was drafted, Webster convinced Walker to let him get a tattoo of her eyes on his left shoulder and of Jesus on his right. “He said, ‘With you on my left side and Jesus watching me on my right side, I’m going to make it.’ So I said ‘Yes.’ Cause I’m a very religious woman,” said Walker, who added that she hates tattoos.
Players without tattoos:
Jason Collins
Nene
Emeka Okafor
A.J. Price
Chris Singleton
Garrett Temple
Jan Vesely
John Wall
Indiana Pacers, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 50% (7 players with tattoos; 7 without)
Last year, I used this space to complain about Jeff Foster and Josh McRoberts, neither of whom are now on the Pacers. More embarrassingly, the accompanying photo of Solomon Jones is from his days on the Hawks. While the Pacers have one of the lowest tattoo percentages of NBA teams, I have to say their tattoos are really interesting and kind of unsolvable, which I appreciate.
Players with tattoos:
Lou Amundson
Amundson’s sole tattoo was described in a 2009 Phoenix New Times article about tattoos on the Suns. That Phoenix team included Shaq, STAT, and Matt Barnes, so the article is mostly given over to their work, but buried in the text is this heartbreaking description of Amundson’s tattoo: “It’s on the right side of his chest and has the words “R.I.P. 34” surrounded by flames. He got the tattoo to commemorate the life of his best friend, Billy Feeney, a teammate at Monarch High School in Louisville, Colorado, and a player for the University of New Mexico Lobos. Feeney hanged himself in August 2003. Amundson doubts he’ll get another tattoo.”
Leandro Barbosa
Barbosa has a tribute to his mother tattooed on his ribs.
Paul George
George has a pretty great chess-themed sleeve on his left arm.
George Hill
In May of 2011, Hill posted a photo of a new tattoo on his twitter page. The design features the state of Indiana with a star emerging from Hill’s birthplace, Indianapolis. In June of 2011, Hill was traded from the Spurs to the Pacers. Homecoming!
Dahntay Jones
Another Pacer representing his home state through tattoo is Jones, born in Trenton, whose right shoulder shows the state of New Jersey wearing a crown.
Lance Stephenson
Playing in a summer league at the age of 15, Stephenson so impressed Bobbito Garcia that Bobbito gave him the nickname “Born Ready,” citing the young guard’s ability to go up against older players, even NBA players. Stephenson had the nickname tattooed on his shoulder alongside the skyline of Coney Island, where he grew up.
David West
For a 2008 Sports Illustrated profile, West discussed the tattoos on his wrist, one reading “LIVE FREE” and the other reading “BLACK SOUL.” He described the former as “self-explanatory,” but was much more enigmatic about the latter: “It has to do with a dark mystery I’m associated with; I won’t talk about that.”
Players without tattoos:
Darren Collison
Kyrylo Fesenko
Danny Granger
Tyler Hansbrough
Roy Hibbert
Jeff Pendergraph
A.J. Price
No longer on roster:
Jeff Foster: no tattoos
Indiana Pacers 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 40% (6 players with tattoos, 9 without)
The Pacers recent play underscores the fallacy of the tattoos=thug equation, as neither Josh McRoberts nor Jeff Foster have tattoos.
—
Players with tattoos:
Paul George
George has tattoos along his right arm from his shoulder to his wrist.
Solomon Jones
Jones has tattoos on both arms.
Dahntay Jones
Among his many tattoos, Jones has the words “Never Satisfied” although in this picture you can only see the word “Satisfied” which would be a cool tattoo for a different person I guess.
James Posey
On Posey’s left shoulder is a tattoo of the letter P, a basketball going through a hoop, and the letter Z. If the basketball is viewed as the letter O, the tattoo phonetically spells out his name: P-O-Z.
Brandon Rush
Rush has a collection of tattoos along both arms.
Lance Stephenson
At the age of 16, Stephenson was given the nickname “Born Ready” by Bobbito Garcia. Bobbito founded the greatest independent rap label of the 90s, Fondle Em, and introduced me to maybe half of my favorite songs via his radio show with Stretch Armstrong, so I’m always ready to take his word for whatever. Apparently Stephenson feels the same way, as the had the nickname tattooed on his right shoulder alongside a figure with a basketball and an outline of Coney Island’s skyline (where he grew up).
Players without tattoos:
Darren Collison
Mike Dunleavy
T.J. Ford
Jeff Foster
Danny Granger
Tyler Hansbrough
Roy Hibbert
Josh McRoberts
A.J. Price
