Oklahoma City Thunder, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 53% (8 players with tattoos, 7 without)
The Thunder kept their tattoo percentage even with last year.
Players with tattoos:
Ronnie Brewer
Brewer may lead the league in basketball tattoos, with a ball tattooed on each shoulder and a hoop tattooed on his forearm.
Kevin Durant
During the summer of 2011, Durant had a huge tribute to his home state and his deceased coach tattooed on his back. The design has been referred to as a “business tattoo” since the entire design is hidden by his uniform. An interview with the tattoo artist, Randy Harris, revealed that Durant insisted that the tattoo be hidden in this way: “He went out of his way to tell me to not have the tattoos go out of his jersey because he does look at himself as a role model to kids.”
Derek Fisher
Fisher has a couple of Chinese characters tattooed on his right forearm that translate to “to be faithful in heart, mind, and spirit.”
Perry Jones III
Jones has a tattoo on his left arm of his mother’s name and the text “My Blessing From God.”
Jeremy Lamb
Lamb has “about eight tattoos” which were done by Massachusetts-based artist Ryan Jones.
DeAndre Liggins
Among Liggins’s many tattoos is a portrait of his older brother, Maurice Davis, who was shot and killed at the age of 18.
Kendrick Perkins
Perkins wore #43 on his jersey as a high school student and for his seven and a half seasons with the Celtics. At some point during that time, he had the number 43 tattooed on his shoulder. When he was traded to OKC he switched to #5 as 43 had been retired by the Sonics for Jack Sikma.
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:
Nick Collison
Serge Ibaka
Reggie Jackson
Kevin Martin
Daniel Orton
Hasheem Thabeet
Russell Westbrook
Oklahoma City Thunder, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 53% (8 players with tattoos, 7 without)
It wasn’t that long ago that OKC had a reputation for having the fewest tattooed players in the league. But during the 2011 playoffs, Durant inadvertently revealed the density of tattoos on his stomach, which he followed up with a huge back piece during the offseason. Joined by new tattoos for Eric Maynor and Royal Ivey, the reputation seemed to flip, with OKC emerging as the sixth-most tattooed team in the league last year. With some off-season roster changes, things have relaxed a bit, with the Thunder now meeting the league average for tattoo percentage.
Players with tattoos:
Daequan Cook
Among Cook’s many (10+) tattoos are his daughter’s name and the words “Daddy’s Angel.”
Kevin Durant
During the summer of 2011, Durant had a huge tribute to his home state and his deceased coach tattooed on his back. The design has been referred to as a “business tattoo” since the entire design is hidden by his uniform. A recent interview with the tattoo artist, Randy Harris, revealed that Durant insisted that the tattoo be hidden in this way: “He went out of his way to tell me to not have the tattoos go out of his jersey because he does look at himself as a role model to kids.”
Derek Fisher
Fisher has a couple of Chinese characters tattooed on his right forearm that translate to “to be faithful in heart, mind, and spirit.”
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
Maynor is the third Thunder player to have work done by Randy Harris of Tattoos by Randy. During the summer of 2011, he had his entire right arm filled in by Randy. DailyThunder.com did a great before and after comparison on their site.
Nazr Mohammed
Mohammed has his name tattooed on his left shoulder above a basketball passing through a hoop.
Kendrick Perkins
Perkins wore #43 on his jersey as a high school student and for his seven and a half seasons with the Celtics. At some point during that time, he had the number 43 tattooed on his shoulder. When he was traded to OKC he switched to #5 as 43 had been retired by the Sonics for Jack Sikma. This story makes everyone sad.
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
Lazar Hayward
Serge Ibaka
Reggie Jackson
Russell Westbrook
No longer on roster:
Ryan Reid: has tattoos on both arms.
Los Angeles Lakers, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 80% (12 players with tattoos, 3 without)
The Lakers have three players without tattoos: European Pau Gasol (who got respect from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for avoiding ink); lovable nerd Andrew Bynum (“when I’m 50, I might not want something written on my arm”); and 38-year old veteran Theo Ratliff. The other 4/5th of the team is a ridiculously diverse collection of dudes, but they all have some tattoos.
—
Players with tattoos:
Ron Artest
Artest has the name “Quanisha” tattooed on his bicep, a tribute to his sister who died as an infant.
Matt Barnes
Barnes is one of those guys whose tattoos have started to overlap and become uncountable. In 2008, he explained in an interview: “Seriously, I have no idea how many I have. I got my first tattoo when I was 17, so I’m 11 years into getting tattoos.”
Steve Blake
On the Lakers blog, Blake dropped a bombshell while playing the game Would You Rather: “I do have one tattoo, but it’s not visible to the public eye.”
Shannon Brown
Brown has tattoos on both arms. Also his wife Monica has his name tattooed on her wrist.
Kobe Bryant
Bryant laced his daughter, wife, and God on his right arm.
Derrick Caracter
Caracter has a tattoo on his left shoulder.
Devin Ebanks
Ebanks’ high school coach used to say “Make shots, not excuses,” a phrase that resonated deeply enough that two players on the team wanted to make it permanent. “He was going to get the tattoo, but I stole it,” Ebanks said in a Times West Virginian article, referring to a teammate who intended to have the phrase tattooed on his arm. “I got it before he did.”
Derek Fisher
Fish has a couple of Chinese characters tattooed on his right forearm that translate to “to be faithful in heart, mind, and spirit.”
Trey Johnson
Johnson has a tattoo on his left shoulder.
Lamar Odom
When it comes to tattoos, Odom keeps it simple: “My tattoos are just reminders of people who are close to me.”
Joe Smith
Among Smith’s tattoos is the following text on his forearm: “Only God can judge me. Rest in Peace MS2.” The text is a tribute combining the initials and jersey number of his former Timberwolves teammate Malik Sealy who was killed by a drunk driver in 2000. Former teammate Kevin Garnett has the same tribute on his arm.
Luke Walton
Better just to leave it in Walton’s own words: “The first one I got here, I got in college, and I got the Grateful Dead skeletons but with basketballs instead of canes and hats.”
Players without tattoos:
Andrew Bynum
Pau Gasol
Theo Ratiff
Oklahoma City Thunder, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 53% (8 players with tattoos, 7 without)
The Thunder kept their tattoo percentage even with last year.
Players with tattoos:
Ronnie Brewer
Brewer may lead the league in basketball tattoos, with a ball tattooed on each shoulder and a hoop tattooed on his forearm.
Kevin Durant
During the summer of 2011, Durant had a huge tribute to his home state and his deceased coach tattooed on his back. The design has been referred to as a “business tattoo” since the entire design is hidden by his uniform. An interview with the tattoo artist, Randy Harris, revealed that Durant insisted that the tattoo be hidden in this way: “He went out of his way to tell me to not have the tattoos go out of his jersey because he does look at himself as a role model to kids.”
Derek Fisher
Fisher has a couple of Chinese characters tattooed on his right forearm that translate to “to be faithful in heart, mind, and spirit.”
Perry Jones III
Jones has a tattoo on his left arm of his mother’s name and the text “My Blessing From God.”
Jeremy Lamb
Lamb has “about eight tattoos” which were done by Massachusetts-based artist Ryan Jones.
DeAndre Liggins
Among Liggins’s many tattoos is a portrait of his older brother, Maurice Davis, who was shot and killed at the age of 18.
Kendrick Perkins
Perkins wore #43 on his jersey as a high school student and for his seven and a half seasons with the Celtics. At some point during that time, he had the number 43 tattooed on his shoulder. When he was traded to OKC he switched to #5 as 43 had been retired by the Sonics for Jack Sikma.
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:
Nick Collison
Serge Ibaka
Reggie Jackson
Kevin Martin
Daniel Orton
Hasheem Thabeet
Russell Westbrook
Oklahoma City Thunder, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 53% (8 players with tattoos, 7 without)
It wasn’t that long ago that OKC had a reputation for having the fewest tattooed players in the league. But during the 2011 playoffs, Durant inadvertently revealed the density of tattoos on his stomach, which he followed up with a huge back piece during the offseason. Joined by new tattoos for Eric Maynor and Royal Ivey, the reputation seemed to flip, with OKC emerging as the sixth-most tattooed team in the league last year. With some off-season roster changes, things have relaxed a bit, with the Thunder now meeting the league average for tattoo percentage.
Players with tattoos:
Daequan Cook
Among Cook’s many (10+) tattoos are his daughter’s name and the words “Daddy’s Angel.”
Kevin Durant
During the summer of 2011, Durant had a huge tribute to his home state and his deceased coach tattooed on his back. The design has been referred to as a “business tattoo” since the entire design is hidden by his uniform. A recent interview with the tattoo artist, Randy Harris, revealed that Durant insisted that the tattoo be hidden in this way: “He went out of his way to tell me to not have the tattoos go out of his jersey because he does look at himself as a role model to kids.”
Derek Fisher
Fisher has a couple of Chinese characters tattooed on his right forearm that translate to “to be faithful in heart, mind, and spirit.”
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
Maynor is the third Thunder player to have work done by Randy Harris of Tattoos by Randy. During the summer of 2011, he had his entire right arm filled in by Randy. DailyThunder.com did a great before and after comparison on their site.
Nazr Mohammed
Mohammed has his name tattooed on his left shoulder above a basketball passing through a hoop.
Kendrick Perkins
Perkins wore #43 on his jersey as a high school student and for his seven and a half seasons with the Celtics. At some point during that time, he had the number 43 tattooed on his shoulder. When he was traded to OKC he switched to #5 as 43 had been retired by the Sonics for Jack Sikma. This story makes everyone sad.
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
Lazar Hayward
Serge Ibaka
Reggie Jackson
Russell Westbrook
No longer on roster:
Ryan Reid: has tattoos on both arms.
Los Angeles Lakers, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 80% (12 players with tattoos, 3 without)
The Lakers have three players without tattoos: European Pau Gasol (who got respect from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for avoiding ink); lovable nerd Andrew Bynum (“when I’m 50, I might not want something written on my arm”); and 38-year old veteran Theo Ratliff. The other 4/5th of the team is a ridiculously diverse collection of dudes, but they all have some tattoos.
—
Players with tattoos:
Ron Artest
Artest has the name “Quanisha” tattooed on his bicep, a tribute to his sister who died as an infant.
Matt Barnes
Barnes is one of those guys whose tattoos have started to overlap and become uncountable. In 2008, he explained in an interview: “Seriously, I have no idea how many I have. I got my first tattoo when I was 17, so I’m 11 years into getting tattoos.”
Steve Blake
On the Lakers blog, Blake dropped a bombshell while playing the game Would You Rather: “I do have one tattoo, but it’s not visible to the public eye.”
Shannon Brown
Brown has tattoos on both arms. Also his wife Monica has his name tattooed on her wrist.
Kobe Bryant
Bryant laced his daughter, wife, and God on his right arm.
Derrick Caracter
Caracter has a tattoo on his left shoulder.
Devin Ebanks
Ebanks’ high school coach used to say “Make shots, not excuses,” a phrase that resonated deeply enough that two players on the team wanted to make it permanent. “He was going to get the tattoo, but I stole it,” Ebanks said in a Times West Virginian article, referring to a teammate who intended to have the phrase tattooed on his arm. “I got it before he did.”
Derek Fisher
Fish has a couple of Chinese characters tattooed on his right forearm that translate to “to be faithful in heart, mind, and spirit.”
Trey Johnson
Johnson has a tattoo on his left shoulder.
Lamar Odom
When it comes to tattoos, Odom keeps it simple: “My tattoos are just reminders of people who are close to me.”
Joe Smith
Among Smith’s tattoos is the following text on his forearm: “Only God can judge me. Rest in Peace MS2.” The text is a tribute combining the initials and jersey number of his former Timberwolves teammate Malik Sealy who was killed by a drunk driver in 2000. Former teammate Kevin Garnett has the same tribute on his arm.
Luke Walton
Better just to leave it in Walton’s own words: “The first one I got here, I got in college, and I got the Grateful Dead skeletons but with basketballs instead of canes and hats.”
Players without tattoos:
Andrew Bynum
Pau Gasol
Theo Ratiff
