Boston Celtics, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 67% (10 players with tattoos, 5 without)
The Celtics kept their tattoo percentage even with last year.
Players with tattoos:
Brandon Bass
Among Bass’s many tattoos is the phrase “God, Grind, Greatness” on the inside of his left bicep. In a profile by Ben Watanabe, Bass explained that the phrase originated during his high school days:
“During the week, I would work out, and on the weekend I would go play in tournaments. So I was praying, working on my game and then when we were in tournaments, I was getting ranked higher. To me, it equaled success, me praying and working hard, so that’s how I came up with ‘God, Grind, Greatness.’”
Jordan Crawford
Crawford has the words “Fab Five” tattooed on his back of his arms.
Kevin Garnett
As reported by Red’s Army, Garnett got a new tattoo in August of 2012. The design was done at FY Ink, who shared a handful of photos of the work in progress.
Courtney Lee
Lee credits his entire professional career to the guidance and mentoring of Danny Rumph, a promising point guard who died of a heart condition at the age of 21. The two met at Western Kentucky University, where Rumph’s positive influence kept Lee in school and focused on basketball. Following Rumph’s death, Lee designed a tribute to his friend, tattooed on his right arm. As described by Fran Blinebury for NBA.com:
“The tattoo on his right biceps is a drawing of his friend wearing his Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap on his head, with wings sprouting from his shoulders and holding a basketball with the No. 11 inside. A couple of other Western Kentucky teammates, Anthony Winchester and Elgrace Wilborn, have the same tattoo that Lee had sketched out.”
Fab Melo
Melo has a tattoo on his right shoulder.
Paul Pierce
In September 2000, just before Pierce’s third year as a pro, he was stabbed 11 times at a nightclub in Boston. Several years later, he had a basketball with a dagger through it tattooed on his arm. As described by Pierce to the website Vegas Deluxe, “It represents how close I came to losing my life. Basketball is my gift and my curse. Obviously there are all the good things that come from playing basketball, but you also have to deal with all the negative things that come with being a basketball player.”
Rajon Rondo
Rondo has the double-R Rolls Royce logo tattooed on his back, which also references his initials.
Jason Terry
Terry has a tattoo of Underdog, which he explained in a 2008 Dime Magazine interview: “I never was seen as one of the best players on the court ’til senior year of high school. Even at Arizona, I was not a starter ’til senior year.”
Chris Wilcox
Wilcox has tattoos on both arms.
Terrence Williams
Williams is one of several heavily-tattooed players from Seattle. A 2009 New York Times profile touched upon this phenomenon, noting that Williams and Nate Robinson grew up together “in the Seattle development referred to as “8 Block,” a reference to the government-assisted housing known as Section 8.” Two of the most heavily-inked players in the league, Williams and Robinson have a matching tattoo of the number 8 inside a spiderweb to commemorate their shared adolescence.
Players without tattoos:
Avery Bradley
Jeff Green
Shavlik Randolph
Jared Sullinger
D.J. White
Charlotte Bobcats, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 43% (6 players with tattoos, 8 without)
The Bobcats are having a tough year. They have fewer tattoos then they did last year, and one of the lowest percentages of tattooed players in the league.
Players with tattoos:
D.J. Augustin
Last summer Houston-based tattoo artist Kevo posted a video of himself giving a tattoo to D.J. Augustin. The finished “Family First” design on his chest joins the others as listed by Augustin on his website: “I have a cross on my arm that says truly blessed. On the other arm I have praying hands. I have a scroll on my chest and a basketball with a crown on the other side.” On his back is a touching tribute to his deceased grandmother in which pair of hands hold a basketball beside the text “thanks for the rock” to memorialize his first ball, which was purchased by his grandmother for his fifth birthday. The design is pretty awe-inspiring.
Gerald Henderson
It’s impossible to make out the design, but Henderson has a tattoo on his back that peeks out of the left side of his jersey.
Corey Maggette
Maggette has a tattoo on his right shoulder of a wizard with a basketball and several planets.
Byron Mullens
Mullens used go to by BJ Mullens, and has B tattooed on his left forearm and J tattooed on his right forearm.
Tyrus Thomas
Easily the most heavily tattooed players on the Bobcats, Thomas admits to disliking his first tattoo: “The name was just like the first one. I think a lot of people usually get their name as the first one. If I could do it over I wouldn’t. You know, I know my name.
Reggie Williams
Williams has a portrait tattooed on his left shoulder and another design on his right forearm.
Players without tattoos:
Bismack Biyombo
Derrick Brown
Matt Carroll
DeSagana Diop
Cory Higgins: there’s no evidence that Higgins has tattoos, however he posted this on Twitter in February of this year…
Eduardo Najera
Kemba Walker
D.J. White
Charlotte Bobcats 2010-2011
Tattoo percentage: 47% (7 players with tattoos, 8 without)
Did you know that Michael Jordan has a brand? It’s hard to make out in photos, but he has a Greek letter burned into his chest to represent his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi. In my imagination, Jordan is weird and competitive enough that this is an issue for players on the Bobcats, who have less tattooed players than most of the league. Even their tattooed players feel toned down compared to other teams, with the obvious exceptions of Stephen Jackson and Tyrus Thomas.
—
Players with tattoos:
D.J. Augustin
Has a touching tribute to his deceased grandmother tattooed on his back. A pair of hands hold a basketball beside the text “thanks for the rock” to memorialize his first ball, which was purchased by his grandmother for his fifth birthday.
Kwame Brown
Has a tattoo below his right elbow.
Dante Cunningham
As of his senior year of college (2009), Cunningham has nine tattoos, including one that reads “TROUBLE” on his left arm.
Stephen Jackson
Proud owner of one of the most hectic tattoos in the league: the standard praying hands on his stomach, but in this design the hands cradle an automatic handgun. When asked about the tattoo’s significance, Jackson explained the design was literal: “I pray I never have to use it again.”
Dominic McGuire
It’s tough to get a good look at McGuire’s open hands tattoo on his right bicep, but it looks incredible.
Joel Przybilla
Among his several tattoos are a basketball player on his right bicep accompanied by the text “Not in my house” and his wife’s name in a heart with roses.
Tyrus Thomas
Easily the most heavily tattooed players on the Bobcats, Thomas admits to disliking his first tattoo: “The name was just like the first one. I think a lot of people usually get their name as the first one. If I could do it over I wouldn’t. You know, I know my name.”
Players without tattoos:
Matt Carroll
Boris Diaw
DeSagana Diop
Gerald Henderson
Shaun Livingston
Eduardo Najera
Garrett Temple
D.J. White
Boston Celtics, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 67% (10 players with tattoos, 5 without)
The Celtics kept their tattoo percentage even with last year.
Players with tattoos:
Brandon Bass
Among Bass’s many tattoos is the phrase “God, Grind, Greatness” on the inside of his left bicep. In a profile by Ben Watanabe, Bass explained that the phrase originated during his high school days:
“During the week, I would work out, and on the weekend I would go play in tournaments. So I was praying, working on my game and then when we were in tournaments, I was getting ranked higher. To me, it equaled success, me praying and working hard, so that’s how I came up with ‘God, Grind, Greatness.’”
Jordan Crawford
Crawford has the words “Fab Five” tattooed on his back of his arms.
Kevin Garnett
As reported by Red’s Army, Garnett got a new tattoo in August of 2012. The design was done at FY Ink, who shared a handful of photos of the work in progress.
Courtney Lee
Lee credits his entire professional career to the guidance and mentoring of Danny Rumph, a promising point guard who died of a heart condition at the age of 21. The two met at Western Kentucky University, where Rumph’s positive influence kept Lee in school and focused on basketball. Following Rumph’s death, Lee designed a tribute to his friend, tattooed on his right arm. As described by Fran Blinebury for NBA.com:
“The tattoo on his right biceps is a drawing of his friend wearing his Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap on his head, with wings sprouting from his shoulders and holding a basketball with the No. 11 inside. A couple of other Western Kentucky teammates, Anthony Winchester and Elgrace Wilborn, have the same tattoo that Lee had sketched out.”
Fab Melo
Melo has a tattoo on his right shoulder.
Paul Pierce
In September 2000, just before Pierce’s third year as a pro, he was stabbed 11 times at a nightclub in Boston. Several years later, he had a basketball with a dagger through it tattooed on his arm. As described by Pierce to the website Vegas Deluxe, “It represents how close I came to losing my life. Basketball is my gift and my curse. Obviously there are all the good things that come from playing basketball, but you also have to deal with all the negative things that come with being a basketball player.”
Rajon Rondo
Rondo has the double-R Rolls Royce logo tattooed on his back, which also references his initials.
Jason Terry
Terry has a tattoo of Underdog, which he explained in a 2008 Dime Magazine interview: “I never was seen as one of the best players on the court ’til senior year of high school. Even at Arizona, I was not a starter ’til senior year.”
Chris Wilcox
Wilcox has tattoos on both arms.
Terrence Williams
Williams is one of several heavily-tattooed players from Seattle. A 2009 New York Times profile touched upon this phenomenon, noting that Williams and Nate Robinson grew up together “in the Seattle development referred to as “8 Block,” a reference to the government-assisted housing known as Section 8.” Two of the most heavily-inked players in the league, Williams and Robinson have a matching tattoo of the number 8 inside a spiderweb to commemorate their shared adolescence.
Players without tattoos:
Avery Bradley
Jeff Green
Shavlik Randolph
Jared Sullinger
D.J. White
Charlotte Bobcats, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 43% (6 players with tattoos, 8 without)
The Bobcats are having a tough year. They have fewer tattoos then they did last year, and one of the lowest percentages of tattooed players in the league.
Players with tattoos:
D.J. Augustin
Last summer Houston-based tattoo artist Kevo posted a video of himself giving a tattoo to D.J. Augustin. The finished “Family First” design on his chest joins the others as listed by Augustin on his website: “I have a cross on my arm that says truly blessed. On the other arm I have praying hands. I have a scroll on my chest and a basketball with a crown on the other side.” On his back is a touching tribute to his deceased grandmother in which pair of hands hold a basketball beside the text “thanks for the rock” to memorialize his first ball, which was purchased by his grandmother for his fifth birthday. The design is pretty awe-inspiring.
Gerald Henderson
It’s impossible to make out the design, but Henderson has a tattoo on his back that peeks out of the left side of his jersey.
Corey Maggette
Maggette has a tattoo on his right shoulder of a wizard with a basketball and several planets.
Byron Mullens
Mullens used go to by BJ Mullens, and has B tattooed on his left forearm and J tattooed on his right forearm.
Tyrus Thomas
Easily the most heavily tattooed players on the Bobcats, Thomas admits to disliking his first tattoo: “The name was just like the first one. I think a lot of people usually get their name as the first one. If I could do it over I wouldn’t. You know, I know my name.
Reggie Williams
Williams has a portrait tattooed on his left shoulder and another design on his right forearm.
Players without tattoos:
Bismack Biyombo
Derrick Brown
Matt Carroll
DeSagana Diop
Cory Higgins: there’s no evidence that Higgins has tattoos, however he posted this on Twitter in February of this year…
Eduardo Najera
Kemba Walker
D.J. White
Charlotte Bobcats 2010-2011
Tattoo percentage: 47% (7 players with tattoos, 8 without)
Did you know that Michael Jordan has a brand? It’s hard to make out in photos, but he has a Greek letter burned into his chest to represent his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi. In my imagination, Jordan is weird and competitive enough that this is an issue for players on the Bobcats, who have less tattooed players than most of the league. Even their tattooed players feel toned down compared to other teams, with the obvious exceptions of Stephen Jackson and Tyrus Thomas.
—
Players with tattoos:
D.J. Augustin
Has a touching tribute to his deceased grandmother tattooed on his back. A pair of hands hold a basketball beside the text “thanks for the rock” to memorialize his first ball, which was purchased by his grandmother for his fifth birthday.
Kwame Brown
Has a tattoo below his right elbow.
Dante Cunningham
As of his senior year of college (2009), Cunningham has nine tattoos, including one that reads “TROUBLE” on his left arm.
Stephen Jackson
Proud owner of one of the most hectic tattoos in the league: the standard praying hands on his stomach, but in this design the hands cradle an automatic handgun. When asked about the tattoo’s significance, Jackson explained the design was literal: “I pray I never have to use it again.”
Dominic McGuire
It’s tough to get a good look at McGuire’s open hands tattoo on his right bicep, but it looks incredible.
Joel Przybilla
Among his several tattoos are a basketball player on his right bicep accompanied by the text “Not in my house” and his wife’s name in a heart with roses.
Tyrus Thomas
Easily the most heavily tattooed players on the Bobcats, Thomas admits to disliking his first tattoo: “The name was just like the first one. I think a lot of people usually get their name as the first one. If I could do it over I wouldn’t. You know, I know my name.”
Players without tattoos:
Matt Carroll
Boris Diaw
DeSagana Diop
Gerald Henderson
Shaun Livingston
Eduardo Najera
Garrett Temple
D.J. White
