Orlando Magic, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 43% (6 players with tattoos, 8 without)
With all of their off-season and mid-season moves, the Magic have a significant drop in tattoo percentage from last year.
Players with tattoos:
Glen Davis
Davis has several tattoos, including a portrait of his mother on his chest. In a 2012 article about the growing trend of NBA players having tattoos removed, Davis sympathized with Mike Bibby’s decision to have some of his work removed: “He’s on the last limb of his career as far as basketball, now he has to go in the world and know to work. And how do you do that? You blend in with the guys who have done it - who come in with a suit and tie with no tattoos.” Davis went on to explain that he would likely do the same thing after retirement.
Al Harrington
Among Harrington’s many tattoos is a great snarling wolf on his chest with the text “Killer Instinct.”
DeQuan Jones
Jones has a collection of tattoos along his left arm.
E’Twaun Moore
Moore has his parents’ names, “Edna” and “Ezell” tattooed on the insides of his biceps.
Jameer Nelson
Nelson has tattoos along both arms.
Kyle O’Quinn
O’Quinn is one of the most heavily tattooed players on the Magic this season. Among his designs is a tattoo reading “Shoot for the moon” on his right arm.
Players without tattoos:
Arron Afflalo
Maurice Harkless
Tobias Harris
Doron Lamb
Andrew Nicholson
Hedo Turkoglu
Beno Udrih
Nikola Vucevic
Orlando Magic, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 67% (10 players with tattoos, 5 without)
Orlando’s tattoo percentage is basically the same as it was last year. And as of right now, their win percentage is about the same as it was last year (.625 this year vs. .634 last year). Weird, right?
Players with tattoos:
Earl Clark
While still in college, Clark was the feature of a profile on the IMG Basketball Academy website that discussed the tattoo on his hand: “Me and my best friend from Jersey came up with BFAM (point to a tattoo on his hand). It means Brother From Another Mother. I heard about some NBA players with BFAM, and I’ve seen some people with it on their hat, but we were talking about this since we were young. All of my friends from the neighborhood who grew up together, we’ve all got the tattoo. We’re like brothers, and it’s just a sign of loyalty.”
Glen Davis
In the beginning of 2010 Davis announced that he would abandon his “Big Baby” nickname, however he continues to keep his mother close to his heart with her portrait and the text “mama’s boy” tattooed on his chest.
Chris Duhon
Duhon has “My Word My Bond” tattooed on the inside of his right bicep, and “My Boys My Blood” tattooed on the inside of his left bicep.
Justin Harper
Harper has tattoos on both arms, including a pretty majestic cross on his left shoulder.
DeAndre Liggins
Liggins wears jersey #34 in tribute to his older brother, Maurice Davis, who was shot and killed outside of his high school at the age of eighteen (Liggins was 14 at the time). Davis was a promising high school player, and his death inspired Liggins’s game, as quoted in a 2011 profile: “When he died, I felt like I had to carry on his dream. This is what he wanted to do. I’m living his dream for him. Hopefully I’m making him proud.” Liggins also wears a portrait of his brother on his right arm, one of many tattoos that earned him a shout out on Bleed Blue Tattoo.
Jameer Nelson
“ALL EYES ON ME” is tattooed across Nelson’s back, a reference to 2Pac’s legendary 1996 album, “All Eyez on Me.”
J.J. Redick
In December of 2011, Redick posted a photo of his forearm tattoo, which quotes a Kings of Leon song.
Jason Richardson
A 2010 profile in the Phoenix New Times reported that Richardson has 26 tattoos, including his nickname (THA FACTOR), a grim reaper, the names of his family members, and a figure holding a basketball. According to an earlier Phoenix New Times article, none of these designs were chosen lightly, as explained by Richardson: “I don’t get tattooed unless I’m 100 percent sure.”
Quentin Richardson
A 2010 report by the Orlando Sentinel got deep into the tragedy in Richardson’s life, his mother’s death from breast cancer and the shooting deaths of two of his three brothers (one of whom is memorialized in tattoo on Richardson’s forearm). The accompanying photo slideshow illustrates his “life’s storyboard [as] seen through his tattoos.” I love that he’s smiling and laughing in every picture, contradicting the heartbreak of the text. Unrelated bonus fact: when Richardson and Brandy were dating in 2004, she had his portrait tattooed on her shoulder, but has since had it covered up with a butterfly.
Von Wafer
Wafer has several tattoos, including a cobweb on his right elbow. Traditionally, cobweb tattoos indicate time spent in prison, although recently the design has also come to represent struggle in a more general sense.
Players without tattoos:
Ryan Anderson
Dwight Howard
Daniel Orton
Ish Smith
Hedo Turkoglu
Orlando Magic, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 62% (8 players with tattoos, 5 without)
Animals make great tattoos—lions, tigers, bulls—all serious symbols, clear in their meanings. An even quicker path to pure signification is text, spelling out declarations, promises, and reminders. Players on the Magic tend towards one or the other, the same way they either shoot threes or put the ball inside for Dwight Howard. The fact that either strategy works for them is not too different from the fact that, regardless of their prevalence, animal tattoos and text tattoos tell a story really well.
—
Players with tattoos:
Malik Allen
Allen has a tattoo of a bull on his shoulder blade.
Gilbert Arenas
The Washington Post website has a great video of Arenas talking through his tattoos. When they come to the tiger that covers most of his stomach, the interviewer asks “why the tiger?” to which Arenas replies: “That’s what I am a fierce beast, king of the jungle.” The reporter replies that many people believe that the lion is king of the jungle, but in Agent Zero’s usual enigmatic way, he replies simply, and definitively: “Tiger’s king of the jungle.”
Brandon Bass
Bass has tattoos on both arms, reaching from his shoulders to his forearms.
Earl Clark
While still in college, Clark was the feature of a profile on the IMG Basketball Academy website that discussed the tattoo on his hand: “Me and my best friend from Jersey came up with BFAM (point to a tattoo on his hand). It means Brother From Another Mother. I heard about some NBA players with BFAM, and I’ve seen some people with it on their hat, but we were talking about this since we were young. All of my friends from the neighborhood who grew up together, we’ve all got the tattoo. We’re like brothers, and it’s just a sign of loyalty.”
Jameer Nelson
Nelson has a lot to say about fear in his tattoos, addressing it in three different text designs as he listed in an NBA chat transcript: “I have one that says ‘King of My Kingdom’, one that says ‘Fear No Man’, I have one that says ‘Loyalty’, another that says, ‘Accomplish Everything Without Fear’, another says ‘No Fear’ and another that is in honor of my Grandmother. That’s about it.”
J.J. Redick
Reddick has several tattoos, all of which address his religion, sections of scripture on his torso and the word “faith” on his wrist. He discussed his thoughts about his own tattoos, and those of other players in the league, on his website in 2008: “Each one of my five tattoos represent something unique and special to me. Yes, I could have probably gotten rubber bands made with the word “faith” on them instead of having “faith” tattooed on the inside of my wrist. But the tattoo is permanent, just like my faith in Christ. It serves as a reminder everyday to believe in the power and the love of God. People that have tattoos are not part of some weird subculture nor are NBA players “thugs” because they have permanent ink on their bodies. I’ve seen plenty of tattooed NBA players who donate money and time to charity, or go to church every Sunday, or visit sick kids in the hospital. That being said, my new tattoo is a latin phrase that runs all the way down my ribcage. I’m sure y’all can figure it out.”
Quentin Richardson
A 2010 report by the Orlando Sentinel got deep into the tragedy in Richardson’s life, his mother’s death from breast cancer and the shooting deaths of two of his three brothers (one of whom is memorialized in tattoo on Richardson’s forearm). The accompanying photo slideshow illustrates his “life’s storyboard [as] seen through his tattoos.” I love that he’s smiling and laughing in every picture, contradicting the heartbreak of the text.
Jason Richardson
A 2010 profile in the Phoenix New Times reported that Richardson has 26 tattoos, including his nickname (THA FACTOR), a grim reaper, the names of his family members, and a figure holding a basketball. According to an earlier Phoenix New Times article, none of these designs were chosen lightly, as explained by Richardson: “I don’t get tattooed unless I’m 100 percent sure.”
Players without tattoos:
Ryan Anderson
Chris Duhon
Dwight Howard
Daniel Orton
Hedo Turkoglu
Orlando Magic, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 43% (6 players with tattoos, 8 without)
With all of their off-season and mid-season moves, the Magic have a significant drop in tattoo percentage from last year.
Players with tattoos:
Glen Davis
Davis has several tattoos, including a portrait of his mother on his chest. In a 2012 article about the growing trend of NBA players having tattoos removed, Davis sympathized with Mike Bibby’s decision to have some of his work removed: “He’s on the last limb of his career as far as basketball, now he has to go in the world and know to work. And how do you do that? You blend in with the guys who have done it - who come in with a suit and tie with no tattoos.” Davis went on to explain that he would likely do the same thing after retirement.
Al Harrington
Among Harrington’s many tattoos is a great snarling wolf on his chest with the text “Killer Instinct.”
DeQuan Jones
Jones has a collection of tattoos along his left arm.
E’Twaun Moore
Moore has his parents’ names, “Edna” and “Ezell” tattooed on the insides of his biceps.
Jameer Nelson
Nelson has tattoos along both arms.
Kyle O’Quinn
O’Quinn is one of the most heavily tattooed players on the Magic this season. Among his designs is a tattoo reading “Shoot for the moon” on his right arm.
Players without tattoos:
Arron Afflalo
Maurice Harkless
Tobias Harris
Doron Lamb
Andrew Nicholson
Hedo Turkoglu
Beno Udrih
Nikola Vucevic
Orlando Magic, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 67% (10 players with tattoos, 5 without)
Orlando’s tattoo percentage is basically the same as it was last year. And as of right now, their win percentage is about the same as it was last year (.625 this year vs. .634 last year). Weird, right?
Players with tattoos:
Earl Clark
While still in college, Clark was the feature of a profile on the IMG Basketball Academy website that discussed the tattoo on his hand: “Me and my best friend from Jersey came up with BFAM (point to a tattoo on his hand). It means Brother From Another Mother. I heard about some NBA players with BFAM, and I’ve seen some people with it on their hat, but we were talking about this since we were young. All of my friends from the neighborhood who grew up together, we’ve all got the tattoo. We’re like brothers, and it’s just a sign of loyalty.”
Glen Davis
In the beginning of 2010 Davis announced that he would abandon his “Big Baby” nickname, however he continues to keep his mother close to his heart with her portrait and the text “mama’s boy” tattooed on his chest.
Chris Duhon
Duhon has “My Word My Bond” tattooed on the inside of his right bicep, and “My Boys My Blood” tattooed on the inside of his left bicep.
Justin Harper
Harper has tattoos on both arms, including a pretty majestic cross on his left shoulder.
DeAndre Liggins
Liggins wears jersey #34 in tribute to his older brother, Maurice Davis, who was shot and killed outside of his high school at the age of eighteen (Liggins was 14 at the time). Davis was a promising high school player, and his death inspired Liggins’s game, as quoted in a 2011 profile: “When he died, I felt like I had to carry on his dream. This is what he wanted to do. I’m living his dream for him. Hopefully I’m making him proud.” Liggins also wears a portrait of his brother on his right arm, one of many tattoos that earned him a shout out on Bleed Blue Tattoo.
Jameer Nelson
“ALL EYES ON ME” is tattooed across Nelson’s back, a reference to 2Pac’s legendary 1996 album, “All Eyez on Me.”
J.J. Redick
In December of 2011, Redick posted a photo of his forearm tattoo, which quotes a Kings of Leon song.
Jason Richardson
A 2010 profile in the Phoenix New Times reported that Richardson has 26 tattoos, including his nickname (THA FACTOR), a grim reaper, the names of his family members, and a figure holding a basketball. According to an earlier Phoenix New Times article, none of these designs were chosen lightly, as explained by Richardson: “I don’t get tattooed unless I’m 100 percent sure.”
Quentin Richardson
A 2010 report by the Orlando Sentinel got deep into the tragedy in Richardson’s life, his mother’s death from breast cancer and the shooting deaths of two of his three brothers (one of whom is memorialized in tattoo on Richardson’s forearm). The accompanying photo slideshow illustrates his “life’s storyboard [as] seen through his tattoos.” I love that he’s smiling and laughing in every picture, contradicting the heartbreak of the text. Unrelated bonus fact: when Richardson and Brandy were dating in 2004, she had his portrait tattooed on her shoulder, but has since had it covered up with a butterfly.
Von Wafer
Wafer has several tattoos, including a cobweb on his right elbow. Traditionally, cobweb tattoos indicate time spent in prison, although recently the design has also come to represent struggle in a more general sense.
Players without tattoos:
Ryan Anderson
Dwight Howard
Daniel Orton
Ish Smith
Hedo Turkoglu
Orlando Magic, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 62% (8 players with tattoos, 5 without)
Animals make great tattoos—lions, tigers, bulls—all serious symbols, clear in their meanings. An even quicker path to pure signification is text, spelling out declarations, promises, and reminders. Players on the Magic tend towards one or the other, the same way they either shoot threes or put the ball inside for Dwight Howard. The fact that either strategy works for them is not too different from the fact that, regardless of their prevalence, animal tattoos and text tattoos tell a story really well.
—
Players with tattoos:
Malik Allen
Allen has a tattoo of a bull on his shoulder blade.
Gilbert Arenas
The Washington Post website has a great video of Arenas talking through his tattoos. When they come to the tiger that covers most of his stomach, the interviewer asks “why the tiger?” to which Arenas replies: “That’s what I am a fierce beast, king of the jungle.” The reporter replies that many people believe that the lion is king of the jungle, but in Agent Zero’s usual enigmatic way, he replies simply, and definitively: “Tiger’s king of the jungle.”
Brandon Bass
Bass has tattoos on both arms, reaching from his shoulders to his forearms.
Earl Clark
While still in college, Clark was the feature of a profile on the IMG Basketball Academy website that discussed the tattoo on his hand: “Me and my best friend from Jersey came up with BFAM (point to a tattoo on his hand). It means Brother From Another Mother. I heard about some NBA players with BFAM, and I’ve seen some people with it on their hat, but we were talking about this since we were young. All of my friends from the neighborhood who grew up together, we’ve all got the tattoo. We’re like brothers, and it’s just a sign of loyalty.”
Jameer Nelson
Nelson has a lot to say about fear in his tattoos, addressing it in three different text designs as he listed in an NBA chat transcript: “I have one that says ‘King of My Kingdom’, one that says ‘Fear No Man’, I have one that says ‘Loyalty’, another that says, ‘Accomplish Everything Without Fear’, another says ‘No Fear’ and another that is in honor of my Grandmother. That’s about it.”
J.J. Redick
Reddick has several tattoos, all of which address his religion, sections of scripture on his torso and the word “faith” on his wrist. He discussed his thoughts about his own tattoos, and those of other players in the league, on his website in 2008: “Each one of my five tattoos represent something unique and special to me. Yes, I could have probably gotten rubber bands made with the word “faith” on them instead of having “faith” tattooed on the inside of my wrist. But the tattoo is permanent, just like my faith in Christ. It serves as a reminder everyday to believe in the power and the love of God. People that have tattoos are not part of some weird subculture nor are NBA players “thugs” because they have permanent ink on their bodies. I’ve seen plenty of tattooed NBA players who donate money and time to charity, or go to church every Sunday, or visit sick kids in the hospital. That being said, my new tattoo is a latin phrase that runs all the way down my ribcage. I’m sure y’all can figure it out.”
Quentin Richardson
A 2010 report by the Orlando Sentinel got deep into the tragedy in Richardson’s life, his mother’s death from breast cancer and the shooting deaths of two of his three brothers (one of whom is memorialized in tattoo on Richardson’s forearm). The accompanying photo slideshow illustrates his “life’s storyboard [as] seen through his tattoos.” I love that he’s smiling and laughing in every picture, contradicting the heartbreak of the text.
Jason Richardson
A 2010 profile in the Phoenix New Times reported that Richardson has 26 tattoos, including his nickname (THA FACTOR), a grim reaper, the names of his family members, and a figure holding a basketball. According to an earlier Phoenix New Times article, none of these designs were chosen lightly, as explained by Richardson: “I don’t get tattooed unless I’m 100 percent sure.”
Players without tattoos:
Ryan Anderson
Chris Duhon
Dwight Howard
Daniel Orton
Hedo Turkoglu
