Milwaukee Bucks, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 53% (8 players with tattoos, 7 without)
Players with tattoos:
Marquis Daniels
In 2009, Urban Ink magazine published a great interview with Daniels that includes details and explanations of many of his tattoos.
Monta Ellis
Grantland recently published an excellent profile of Ellis by Jonathan Abrams. He includes a great quote from Ellis that really explains why he’s such a treat to watch: “I always approach the game like I approached it when I was a little boy, it’s just basketball.” The set up for this quote is a description of young Monta watching weekend matinee NBA games and then going outside to mimic what he saw. As Abrams describes it: “It always seemed like the games between the Magic and Bulls, Kings and Lakers, Knicks and Heat came down to the last second. After the games ended, Monta would go outside to mimic the last-second shots on his makeshift court, a garbage can on one end and a milk crate on the other.” Ellis paid tribute to these days on his elaborate back tattoo, which includes an image of a boy beside a milkcrate basket.
Drew Gooden
A 2007 Akron Beacon-Journal article focuses on Gooden’s then-recent tattoo, his first new work since he was 15 years old. The article reports that the tattoo is Dali-like, featuring a melting clock, set to 11:11 for good luck. At opposite sides of the clock a pair of angels and a devil observe time, completing this fittingly outlandish design for Gooden.
John Henson
Henson has the words “Truly Blessed” tattooed on his chest.
Brandon Jennings
Jennings is one of the more heavily tattooed players in the league. In 2011, Jennings told the website Global Grind that he was close to finished with tattoos, as he was running out of space.
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.
J.J. Redick
Via his twitter account, Redick posted a photo of his forearm tattoo, which quotes a Kings of Leon song. At the beginning of the 2012-13 season, he explained to Brooke Thomas of Yardbarker the significance of the quote, which reads: “Single book of matches, gonna burn what’s standing in the way.” As paraphrased by Thomas, “the lyrics mean that he’s given a finite amount of time and resources to do the things he is passionate about. Whatever obstacles and challenges that arise, he has to figure out a way to burn them down.”
Larry Sanders
Sanders is one of the more heavily tattooed players in the league. When asked about his tattoos, he consistently responds that he sees tattoos as artwork, and that creative expression is the only thing a person can really own.
Players without tattoos:
Gustavo Ayon
Samuel Dalembert
Mike Dunleavy
Ersan Ilyasova
Luc Mbah a Moute
Ish Smith
Ekpe Udoh
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
Memphis Grizzlies, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 36% (5 players with tattoos, 9 without)
A lot of talk about how the Grizzlies came out of nowhere in these playoffs. Definitely watching them take out the Spurs was the best story of the first round, and on a personal level, having watched Z-Bo in Portland and in New York, I’m happy to see him playing so well. Anyway, I guess “out of nowhere” means “there aren’t a lot of photos of them on the internet” because I really can’t find great evidence or images of their tattoos. Sorry.
—
Players with tattoos:
Darrell Arthur
Arthur has tattoos on both shoulders and a “King Arthur” backpiece.
Mike Conley
Conley has a tattoo on his left shoulder.
Hamed Haddadi
On Haddadi’s left shoulder is a stylized dragon.
O.J. Mayo
“Juice Monster” is a crazy tattoo, even if it was Mayo’s childhood nickname. His “dedication” and “sacrifice” bicep tattoos are meaningful, but it’s his King Kong design that speaks the most: “I’d like that to be my motto; I’m King Kong of the court,” he said in a 2007 interview.
Zach Randolph
Randolph has tattoos on both arms. Nike had him pose with a sword once.
Players without tattoos:
Tony Allen
Shane Battier: Asked he ever wanted a tattoo, Battier confessed, “No. You know what, I’m not cool enough to pull it off. If I got one it’d be really dorky — it would look funny on me.”
Marc Gasol
Rudy Gay
Xavier Henry
Leon Powe
Ishmael Smith
Greivis Vasquez
Sam Young
Milwaukee Bucks, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 53% (8 players with tattoos, 7 without)
Players with tattoos:
Marquis Daniels
In 2009, Urban Ink magazine published a great interview with Daniels that includes details and explanations of many of his tattoos.
Monta Ellis
Grantland recently published an excellent profile of Ellis by Jonathan Abrams. He includes a great quote from Ellis that really explains why he’s such a treat to watch: “I always approach the game like I approached it when I was a little boy, it’s just basketball.” The set up for this quote is a description of young Monta watching weekend matinee NBA games and then going outside to mimic what he saw. As Abrams describes it: “It always seemed like the games between the Magic and Bulls, Kings and Lakers, Knicks and Heat came down to the last second. After the games ended, Monta would go outside to mimic the last-second shots on his makeshift court, a garbage can on one end and a milk crate on the other.” Ellis paid tribute to these days on his elaborate back tattoo, which includes an image of a boy beside a milkcrate basket.
Drew Gooden
A 2007 Akron Beacon-Journal article focuses on Gooden’s then-recent tattoo, his first new work since he was 15 years old. The article reports that the tattoo is Dali-like, featuring a melting clock, set to 11:11 for good luck. At opposite sides of the clock a pair of angels and a devil observe time, completing this fittingly outlandish design for Gooden.
John Henson
Henson has the words “Truly Blessed” tattooed on his chest.
Brandon Jennings
Jennings is one of the more heavily tattooed players in the league. In 2011, Jennings told the website Global Grind that he was close to finished with tattoos, as he was running out of space.
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.
J.J. Redick
Via his twitter account, Redick posted a photo of his forearm tattoo, which quotes a Kings of Leon song. At the beginning of the 2012-13 season, he explained to Brooke Thomas of Yardbarker the significance of the quote, which reads: “Single book of matches, gonna burn what’s standing in the way.” As paraphrased by Thomas, “the lyrics mean that he’s given a finite amount of time and resources to do the things he is passionate about. Whatever obstacles and challenges that arise, he has to figure out a way to burn them down.”
Larry Sanders
Sanders is one of the more heavily tattooed players in the league. When asked about his tattoos, he consistently responds that he sees tattoos as artwork, and that creative expression is the only thing a person can really own.
Players without tattoos:
Gustavo Ayon
Samuel Dalembert
Mike Dunleavy
Ersan Ilyasova
Luc Mbah a Moute
Ish Smith
Ekpe Udoh
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
Memphis Grizzlies, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 36% (5 players with tattoos, 9 without)
A lot of talk about how the Grizzlies came out of nowhere in these playoffs. Definitely watching them take out the Spurs was the best story of the first round, and on a personal level, having watched Z-Bo in Portland and in New York, I’m happy to see him playing so well. Anyway, I guess “out of nowhere” means “there aren’t a lot of photos of them on the internet” because I really can’t find great evidence or images of their tattoos. Sorry.
—
Players with tattoos:
Darrell Arthur
Arthur has tattoos on both shoulders and a “King Arthur” backpiece.
Mike Conley
Conley has a tattoo on his left shoulder.
Hamed Haddadi
On Haddadi’s left shoulder is a stylized dragon.
O.J. Mayo
“Juice Monster” is a crazy tattoo, even if it was Mayo’s childhood nickname. His “dedication” and “sacrifice” bicep tattoos are meaningful, but it’s his King Kong design that speaks the most: “I’d like that to be my motto; I’m King Kong of the court,” he said in a 2007 interview.
Zach Randolph
Randolph has tattoos on both arms. Nike had him pose with a sword once.
Players without tattoos:
Tony Allen
Shane Battier: Asked he ever wanted a tattoo, Battier confessed, “No. You know what, I’m not cool enough to pull it off. If I got one it’d be really dorky — it would look funny on me.”
Marc Gasol
Rudy Gay
Xavier Henry
Leon Powe
Ishmael Smith
Greivis Vasquez
Sam Young
