New Orleans Hornets, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 33% (5 players with tattoos, 10 without)
The Hornets saw their tattoo percentage increase slightly over last year.
Players with tattoos:
Al-Farouq Aminu
In June 2012, Aminu announced via his tumblr account that he plans to add tattoos in the different countries he visits, a sort of commemoration of his travels. He goes on to explain that he’s already begun this process in a way, having gotten tattoos in Atlanta (his hometown), Los Angeles (where he played on the Clippers), and New Orleans (where he currently plays).
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.”
Roger Mason Jr.
In 2007, Mason covered his left arm in a meticulous, richly-symbolic tribute to his father. “There’s references from five different centuries and three or four different genres of art,” his tattoo artist, Grant Cobb explained to the Washington Post. “It was something that kind of needed some work, but it means a lot to him, it was real personal….It was really cool to be able to do something like that for him.” Or, in the words of Mason’s then-teammate, DeShawn Stevenson, “that’s blazin’.” Mason himself feels indifferent to the praise: “”Everybody loves it who sees it, but the meaning is what’s important. That’s why I got it.”
Austin Rivers
Rivers has “M.O.A.M.” tattooed on his left wrist, an acronym for “Man On A Mission”; “G.F.B.” on his right wrist, which stands for “God, Family, Basketball”; and the words “Dedicated” and “Determined” tattooed on the inside of his fingers. In this interview, he talks through each of them and mentions that he likes to keep his arms clean of tattoos.
Lance Thomas
Thomas majored in visual arts while at Duke, using his talents to create posters for each of his teammates. According to an ESPN report, he also designed the tattoo on his right bicep, an elaborate portrait of New Jersey wearing a crown.
Players without tattoos:
Ryan Anderson
Anthony Davis
Eric Gordon
Terrel Harris
Xavier Henry
Robin Lopez
Darius Miller
Brian Roberts
Jason Smith
Greivis Vasquez
Al-Farouq Aminu shares some thoughts towards his next tattoo…
This might be the next tattoo. Both a chief and from the A. Only makes sense
Tattoos
Very exciting update from Al-Farouq Aminu. Fingers crossed he uses his tumblr page to keep everyone updated on these plans
I want to start getting tattoos in different countries. And I think brazil is going to be the first one I get out side the US. Even in the US I have gotten them in diff places like ATl,LA, and new Orleans. Only thing now is to know what I want to be the next tat. Got a couple of ideas tho.
Al-Farouq Aminu has a tumblr account, and today posted this photo, which give a glimpse of the tattoo on his chest.
got the swim trunks on already … cant wait to travel
New Orleans Hornets, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 29% (4 players with tattoos, 10 players without)
So last year’s team lost half of their tattoos players (i.e. David West) in free agency. This year’s roster has been a mess since the Chris Paul trade and subsequent injuries, and has gone through a lot of changes. At a couple points, their tattoo percentage was as high as 33%, enough to get them tied with Charlotte for last place, but as of the trade deadline they’ve comfortably reclaimed the fewest tattoos title for themselves.
Players with tattoos:
Al-Farouq Aminu
Aminu came into the league with tattoos on the inside of both arms. It was tough to make out the details last year, but with his increased playing time on the Hornets, there have been a few more glimpses. I believe his right arm’s design includes a stone axe, and his left arm has (I think) feathers. He’s also added a tattoo on his left bicep this year.
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.’”
Chris Johnson
Among Johnson’s several tattoos is a basketball with his initials.
Lance Thomas
Thomas majored in visual arts while at Duke, using his talents to create posters for each of his teammates. According to an ESPN report, he also designed the tattoo on his right bicep, an elaborate portrait of New Jersey wearing a crown.
Players without tattoos:
Gustavo Ayon
Marco Belinelli
Eric Gordon
Xavier Henry
Jarrett Jack
Chris Kaman
Carl Landry
Emeka Okafor
Jason Smith
Greivis Vasquez
No longer on roster:
Jeff Foote: no tattoos
Trey Johnson: Johnson has tattoos on his left arm
DaJuan Summers: Summers has tattoos of his siblings’ names on his arm
Carldell Johnson: no tattoos
Los Angeles Clippers, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 57% (8 players with tattoos, 6 without)
I watched a lot of games on my phone this season, which is kind of a weird unsatisfying thing to do. Sometimes the signal wasn’t so strong and the players would pixellate, which would make it feel like I was playing NBA Jam on Game Gear. Most times there wasn’t enough detail to tell the players apart, unless I knew the team’s spacing really well, and could recognize, for example, that Dorell Wright was the only one on the Warriors who would lurk in the corner like that. Not so with the Clippers. From Aminu’s rangy, boneless arms to Jordan crashing under the basket to Griffin’s superhumanity, the Clippers were a bunch of distinctive dudes this year, even on a two by four inch screen. Their tattoo game was not as distinctive, but does reveal some interesting things about their squad.
—
Players with tattoos:
Al-Farouq Aminu
Aminu didn’t make as much noise as people expected this year, missing a lot of easy shots and forcing bad plays. Still, he was a rebounding monster, and when he followed one up with a full-court rush, it was pretty much magic. So how facile that a guy who has only shown flashes of what he really is only has tattoos on the inside of his biceps, showing only glimpses of the designs. Psyched to see what’s next for him.
Eric Bledsoe
Bledsoe has a tattoo on his right arm that covered his bicep last summer but had extended as far as his wrist by the all-star break.
Randy Foye
One of the most heartbreaking tattoos in the league (or that I’ve heard of, period), Foye has a tattoo of his mother over his heart. Raised by his two grandmothers after his father died and his mother ran out on the family, Foye marked his 22nd birthday with this tribute to his absent parent. A 2006 interview painted yearning, not forgiveness as the inspiration for the design: “If my mom was here today, she would probably be the most important person in my life. I know how I treat my grandmother and I put my grandmother in her place on a pedestal. I just felt as if I needed something of her attached to me, so I just put her over my heart.”
Ryan Gomes
Has a tattoo on his chest that occasionally peeks out of his jersey.
DeAndre Jordan
Jordan covers a lot of ground in his tattoos, from tributes to family members, to hometown pride, to spirituality, to a noble lion. A recent DIME Magazine profile goes through all of his tattoos with commentary. A standout is his left forearm, which shows a half-skull/half-earth sphere surrounded by text. Jordan described the design and elaborated on its meaning: “It says, ‘Don’t gain the world and lose your soul.’ It’s a Bob Marley quote. It’s a circle, but it’s half a skull and half the Earth. I just didn’t want to get caught up in materialistic things and forget who I am and where I come from.”
Jamario Moon
At the end of the 2009-2010 season, Moon responded to fan questions via the Cleveland Cavaliers website. The first asked him what his favorite tattoo was, and he responded that it was the one on his right arm: “My favorite tattoo is my right arm tattoo. It’s a cross with a basketball on top with a dog in the middle. It’s the three things I love the most. I love God, I love basketball and I also love dogs.”
Willie Warren
Warren has two different joker/basketball tattoos. Although they’re thematically close to many NBA tattoos, in a 2009 pre-draft profile, Warren described the meaning embedded in the two designs: “On my right arm, I have a joker with a basketball in the background. The one on my left arm is a joker with a basketball jersey on, No. 32. Me and my mom wore No. 32 in high school, so that was something I got for me and my mom. Of course, I won a state championship and she didn’t.”
Mo Williams
Clearly one of the most tattooed players on the team, Williams and six of his high school friends had “La Familia” tattooed on their legs, representing a deep bond that he explained to Cleveland’s Plain Dealer: “It signifies us as a unit forever. No matter what direction we go in life, we know we’re ‘La Familia.’ We’re together, no matter what happens. That’ll be with me forever.”
Players without tattoos:
Brian Cook
Ike Diogu
Eric Gordon
Blake Griffin
Chris Kaman
Craig Smith
New Orleans Hornets, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 33% (5 players with tattoos, 10 without)
The Hornets saw their tattoo percentage increase slightly over last year.
Players with tattoos:
Al-Farouq Aminu
In June 2012, Aminu announced via his tumblr account that he plans to add tattoos in the different countries he visits, a sort of commemoration of his travels. He goes on to explain that he’s already begun this process in a way, having gotten tattoos in Atlanta (his hometown), Los Angeles (where he played on the Clippers), and New Orleans (where he currently plays).
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.”
Roger Mason Jr.
In 2007, Mason covered his left arm in a meticulous, richly-symbolic tribute to his father. “There’s references from five different centuries and three or four different genres of art,” his tattoo artist, Grant Cobb explained to the Washington Post. “It was something that kind of needed some work, but it means a lot to him, it was real personal….It was really cool to be able to do something like that for him.” Or, in the words of Mason’s then-teammate, DeShawn Stevenson, “that’s blazin’.” Mason himself feels indifferent to the praise: “”Everybody loves it who sees it, but the meaning is what’s important. That’s why I got it.”
Austin Rivers
Rivers has “M.O.A.M.” tattooed on his left wrist, an acronym for “Man On A Mission”; “G.F.B.” on his right wrist, which stands for “God, Family, Basketball”; and the words “Dedicated” and “Determined” tattooed on the inside of his fingers. In this interview, he talks through each of them and mentions that he likes to keep his arms clean of tattoos.
Lance Thomas
Thomas majored in visual arts while at Duke, using his talents to create posters for each of his teammates. According to an ESPN report, he also designed the tattoo on his right bicep, an elaborate portrait of New Jersey wearing a crown.
Players without tattoos:
Ryan Anderson
Anthony Davis
Eric Gordon
Terrel Harris
Xavier Henry
Robin Lopez
Darius Miller
Brian Roberts
Jason Smith
Greivis Vasquez
Al-Farouq Aminu shares some thoughts towards his next tattoo…
This might be the next tattoo. Both a chief and from the A. Only makes sense
Tattoos
Very exciting update from Al-Farouq Aminu. Fingers crossed he uses his tumblr page to keep everyone updated on these plans
I want to start getting tattoos in different countries. And I think brazil is going to be the first one I get out side the US. Even in the US I have gotten them in diff places like ATl,LA, and new Orleans. Only thing now is to know what I want to be the next tat. Got a couple of ideas tho.
Al-Farouq Aminu has a tumblr account, and today posted this photo, which give a glimpse of the tattoo on his chest.
got the swim trunks on already … cant wait to travel
New Orleans Hornets, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 29% (4 players with tattoos, 10 players without)
So last year’s team lost half of their tattoos players (i.e. David West) in free agency. This year’s roster has been a mess since the Chris Paul trade and subsequent injuries, and has gone through a lot of changes. At a couple points, their tattoo percentage was as high as 33%, enough to get them tied with Charlotte for last place, but as of the trade deadline they’ve comfortably reclaimed the fewest tattoos title for themselves.
Players with tattoos:
Al-Farouq Aminu
Aminu came into the league with tattoos on the inside of both arms. It was tough to make out the details last year, but with his increased playing time on the Hornets, there have been a few more glimpses. I believe his right arm’s design includes a stone axe, and his left arm has (I think) feathers. He’s also added a tattoo on his left bicep this year.
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.’”
Chris Johnson
Among Johnson’s several tattoos is a basketball with his initials.
Lance Thomas
Thomas majored in visual arts while at Duke, using his talents to create posters for each of his teammates. According to an ESPN report, he also designed the tattoo on his right bicep, an elaborate portrait of New Jersey wearing a crown.
Players without tattoos:
Gustavo Ayon
Marco Belinelli
Eric Gordon
Xavier Henry
Jarrett Jack
Chris Kaman
Carl Landry
Emeka Okafor
Jason Smith
Greivis Vasquez
No longer on roster:
Jeff Foote: no tattoos
Trey Johnson: Johnson has tattoos on his left arm
DaJuan Summers: Summers has tattoos of his siblings’ names on his arm
Carldell Johnson: no tattoos
Los Angeles Clippers, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 57% (8 players with tattoos, 6 without)
I watched a lot of games on my phone this season, which is kind of a weird unsatisfying thing to do. Sometimes the signal wasn’t so strong and the players would pixellate, which would make it feel like I was playing NBA Jam on Game Gear. Most times there wasn’t enough detail to tell the players apart, unless I knew the team’s spacing really well, and could recognize, for example, that Dorell Wright was the only one on the Warriors who would lurk in the corner like that. Not so with the Clippers. From Aminu’s rangy, boneless arms to Jordan crashing under the basket to Griffin’s superhumanity, the Clippers were a bunch of distinctive dudes this year, even on a two by four inch screen. Their tattoo game was not as distinctive, but does reveal some interesting things about their squad.
—
Players with tattoos:
Al-Farouq Aminu
Aminu didn’t make as much noise as people expected this year, missing a lot of easy shots and forcing bad plays. Still, he was a rebounding monster, and when he followed one up with a full-court rush, it was pretty much magic. So how facile that a guy who has only shown flashes of what he really is only has tattoos on the inside of his biceps, showing only glimpses of the designs. Psyched to see what’s next for him.
Eric Bledsoe
Bledsoe has a tattoo on his right arm that covered his bicep last summer but had extended as far as his wrist by the all-star break.
Randy Foye
One of the most heartbreaking tattoos in the league (or that I’ve heard of, period), Foye has a tattoo of his mother over his heart. Raised by his two grandmothers after his father died and his mother ran out on the family, Foye marked his 22nd birthday with this tribute to his absent parent. A 2006 interview painted yearning, not forgiveness as the inspiration for the design: “If my mom was here today, she would probably be the most important person in my life. I know how I treat my grandmother and I put my grandmother in her place on a pedestal. I just felt as if I needed something of her attached to me, so I just put her over my heart.”
Ryan Gomes
Has a tattoo on his chest that occasionally peeks out of his jersey.
DeAndre Jordan
Jordan covers a lot of ground in his tattoos, from tributes to family members, to hometown pride, to spirituality, to a noble lion. A recent DIME Magazine profile goes through all of his tattoos with commentary. A standout is his left forearm, which shows a half-skull/half-earth sphere surrounded by text. Jordan described the design and elaborated on its meaning: “It says, ‘Don’t gain the world and lose your soul.’ It’s a Bob Marley quote. It’s a circle, but it’s half a skull and half the Earth. I just didn’t want to get caught up in materialistic things and forget who I am and where I come from.”
Jamario Moon
At the end of the 2009-2010 season, Moon responded to fan questions via the Cleveland Cavaliers website. The first asked him what his favorite tattoo was, and he responded that it was the one on his right arm: “My favorite tattoo is my right arm tattoo. It’s a cross with a basketball on top with a dog in the middle. It’s the three things I love the most. I love God, I love basketball and I also love dogs.”
Willie Warren
Warren has two different joker/basketball tattoos. Although they’re thematically close to many NBA tattoos, in a 2009 pre-draft profile, Warren described the meaning embedded in the two designs: “On my right arm, I have a joker with a basketball in the background. The one on my left arm is a joker with a basketball jersey on, No. 32. Me and my mom wore No. 32 in high school, so that was something I got for me and my mom. Of course, I won a state championship and she didn’t.”
Mo Williams
Clearly one of the most tattooed players on the team, Williams and six of his high school friends had “La Familia” tattooed on their legs, representing a deep bond that he explained to Cleveland’s Plain Dealer: “It signifies us as a unit forever. No matter what direction we go in life, we know we’re ‘La Familia.’ We’re together, no matter what happens. That’ll be with me forever.”
Players without tattoos:
Brian Cook
Ike Diogu
Eric Gordon
Blake Griffin
Chris Kaman
Craig Smith
