Memphis Grizzlies, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 60% (9 players with tattoos, 6 without)
The Grizzlies saw their tattoo percentage decrease from last year.
Players with tattoos:
Darrell Arthur
Arthur has a great tattoo on his back.
Jerryd Bayless
Bayless described his massive backpiece as “a college mistake” and goes on to declare that he “regrets it everyday.”
Mike Conley
As described in a video interview, Conley has Luke 23:34 (“Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”) tattooed on his right arm. He explained in the video that the tattoo helped him during his first years in the league, during a time in which, “off the court, I was always sad, always looking at things in a negative view, and I found this quote… it moved me a lot, and I just wanted to have that stick with me.”
Ed Davis
Davis has tattoos along both arms.
Keyon Dooling
According to NBA.com, the cross tattoo on Dooling’s shoulder is to remind him that he’s blessed.
Donte Greene
Greene has tattoos on both arms.
Zach Randolph
Randolph has tattoos on both arms.
Willie Reed
Reed has tattoos on both arms and across his chest.
Tony Wroten
Wroten has tattoos covering both arms.
Players without tattoos:
Tony Allen
Austin Daye
Marc Gasol
Jon Leuer
Quincy Pondexter
Tayshaun Prince
Boston Celtics 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 67% (10 players with tattoos/5 without)
The Celtics tattoo percentage remained the same as last year.
—
Players with tattoos:
Brandon Bass
Heavily tattooed on both arms.
Marquis Daniels
In 2009, Urban Ink magazine interviewed Daniels about his tattoos. He talks about the shotgun suicide one, and the one that reads “look through the eyes of a killer” but also talks about the one he got for his grandparents:
When I was younger, I used to have to read the Bible to my grandmother and grandfather all the time, and that was their favorite scripture. It was like, always remember the scripture. If youre down, and you want to pray or whatever, read the scripture. Thats why I got the tattoo on the side. Its my favorite verse also. You know, when times get hard, I feel like, through the pain, after all the efforts I put forward, that verse protects me from anything evil.
I appreciate that he is able to bring evil into that one too.
Keyon Dooling
According to NBA.com, the cross tattoo on Dooling’s shoulder is to remind him that he’s blessed.
Kevin Garnett
Among KG’s tattoos is the text: “Only God can Judge me. Rest in Peace MS2” on his forearm. The text is a tribute combining the initials and jersey number of his Timberwolves teammate Malik Sealy who was killed by a drunk driver in 2000. Former teammate Joe Smith has the same tribute tattooed on his arm.
E’Twaun Moore
Rookie Moore has a cross tattoo on his left shoulder.
Jermaine O’Neal
O’Neal’s right shoulder features a muscular figure surrounded by the text “Year of the Resurrection.” Asked about the tattoo in 2011, O’Neal couldn’t remember when or where he got it, stressing instead that the tattoo isn’t fixed to one year, but constantly refreshes: “It better be this year… I look at it like every year has been a resurrection year — being challenged, being knocked down and getting back up – but I’ve had a lot of trials and tribulations this year.”
Aleksander Pavlovic
Pavlovic has a bit of text tattooed on his arm and a tiger on his ankle.
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.”
Mickael Pietrus
Pietrus has a tribal-inspired armband circling his right bicep.
Rajon Rondo
Rondo has the double-R Rolls Royce logo tattooed on his back, which also references his initials.
Players without tattoos:
Ray Allen
Avery Bradley
Ryan Hollins
JaJuan Johnson
Greg Stiemsma
No longer on roster:
Chris Wilcox: Wilcox has a tattoo on his left shoulder.
Milwaukee Bucks, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 71% (10 with tattoos, 4 without)
The Bucks have had a tough time establishing an identity over the last few decades, with their marquee players falling to injury and many seasons passing without much note. In the last year this “fear the deer” movement has started though, and fittingly, the Bucks have assembled a bunch of oddballs and unpredictable players who can embrace both the silliness and the necessity of the slogan. Their tattoos follow suit.
—
Players with tattoos:
Andrew Bogut
Bogut has a tattoo on his back but he’s not really willing to discuss it: “The tattoo is a mix of things, a lot of it is kind of personal,” he explained one one of those NBA.com player chats, “There’s some Australian stuff and also some Croatian stuff in it.” Which is hilarious considering all of the topics he is willing to open his big mouth about.
Jon Brockman
As a teenager, Brockman got a tattoo of the tree of life on his lower back, as did his older brother and sister. “My mom doesn’t like it at all,” he explained to the Seattle Times in 2008, “Neither does my dad. But it’s in a place where no one sees it. It’s something close to me and it reminds me of my brother and sister when I don’t get to see them for a long time. So I like it.”
Carlos Delfino
Delfino sports a dragon on his left shoulder.
Keyon Dooling
On Dooling’s left shoulder is a tattoo of a cross.
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Douglas Roberts is great at twitter, his steady feed a mixture of funny observations, style tips, and hurting feelings. Given his many tattoos, a fan recently asked him for his advice, and CDR replied: “get somem original….& Them shits hurt really bad.”
Drew Gooden
Gooden has historically put a lot of effort into unconventional looks, such as this haircut or this beard. A 2007 Akron Beacon-Journal article focuses in on Gooden’s then-recent tattoo, his first new design 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. Still, nothing really beats actually seeing it.
Brandon Jennings
During Jennings’ rookie year, he answered questions for a Hoops Hype interview, including one about his many tattoos: “On my right arm, it’s laugh now, cry later. It’s for all the haters who said I would never make it in life. And there’s a man holding a ball with a city behind him, which is basically me holding a basketball with my city behind me. On the left one, it’s my mom (Alice Knox) and my brother (Terrence). It shows I’m blessed.”
Corey Maggette
Maggette has a tattoo on his right shoulder.
John Salmons
Salmons has Chinese characters on his right arm. According to the website NiuBBall.com, it’s identical to Jermaine O’Neal’s Chinese tattoo, and means “person who sells coffins.”
Larry Sanders
Maybe ten years ago someone I knew had to spend some time in prison. He wasn’t exactly a tough guy, so before he went in he decided to get a tattoo that might make him look hard enough that he could avoid fights. He had two full-size pistols tattooed on his waistline, so it looked like the guns were tucked into his pants. It was an intense decision, and one that only half worked.
I’d never seen anyone else with the design until Sanders was drafted by the Bucks and this photo appeared on his twitter page.
Players without tattoos:
Earl Boykins
Ersan Ilyasova
Luc Mbah a Moute
Michael Redd
Memphis Grizzlies, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 60% (9 players with tattoos, 6 without)
The Grizzlies saw their tattoo percentage decrease from last year.
Players with tattoos:
Darrell Arthur
Arthur has a great tattoo on his back.
Jerryd Bayless
Bayless described his massive backpiece as “a college mistake” and goes on to declare that he “regrets it everyday.”
Mike Conley
As described in a video interview, Conley has Luke 23:34 (“Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”) tattooed on his right arm. He explained in the video that the tattoo helped him during his first years in the league, during a time in which, “off the court, I was always sad, always looking at things in a negative view, and I found this quote… it moved me a lot, and I just wanted to have that stick with me.”
Ed Davis
Davis has tattoos along both arms.
Keyon Dooling
According to NBA.com, the cross tattoo on Dooling’s shoulder is to remind him that he’s blessed.
Donte Greene
Greene has tattoos on both arms.
Zach Randolph
Randolph has tattoos on both arms.
Willie Reed
Reed has tattoos on both arms and across his chest.
Tony Wroten
Wroten has tattoos covering both arms.
Players without tattoos:
Tony Allen
Austin Daye
Marc Gasol
Jon Leuer
Quincy Pondexter
Tayshaun Prince
Boston Celtics 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 67% (10 players with tattoos/5 without)
The Celtics tattoo percentage remained the same as last year.
—
Players with tattoos:
Brandon Bass
Heavily tattooed on both arms.
Marquis Daniels
In 2009, Urban Ink magazine interviewed Daniels about his tattoos. He talks about the shotgun suicide one, and the one that reads “look through the eyes of a killer” but also talks about the one he got for his grandparents:
When I was younger, I used to have to read the Bible to my grandmother and grandfather all the time, and that was their favorite scripture. It was like, always remember the scripture. If youre down, and you want to pray or whatever, read the scripture. Thats why I got the tattoo on the side. Its my favorite verse also. You know, when times get hard, I feel like, through the pain, after all the efforts I put forward, that verse protects me from anything evil.
I appreciate that he is able to bring evil into that one too.
Keyon Dooling
According to NBA.com, the cross tattoo on Dooling’s shoulder is to remind him that he’s blessed.
Kevin Garnett
Among KG’s tattoos is the text: “Only God can Judge me. Rest in Peace MS2” on his forearm. The text is a tribute combining the initials and jersey number of his Timberwolves teammate Malik Sealy who was killed by a drunk driver in 2000. Former teammate Joe Smith has the same tribute tattooed on his arm.
E’Twaun Moore
Rookie Moore has a cross tattoo on his left shoulder.
Jermaine O’Neal
O’Neal’s right shoulder features a muscular figure surrounded by the text “Year of the Resurrection.” Asked about the tattoo in 2011, O’Neal couldn’t remember when or where he got it, stressing instead that the tattoo isn’t fixed to one year, but constantly refreshes: “It better be this year… I look at it like every year has been a resurrection year — being challenged, being knocked down and getting back up – but I’ve had a lot of trials and tribulations this year.”
Aleksander Pavlovic
Pavlovic has a bit of text tattooed on his arm and a tiger on his ankle.
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.”
Mickael Pietrus
Pietrus has a tribal-inspired armband circling his right bicep.
Rajon Rondo
Rondo has the double-R Rolls Royce logo tattooed on his back, which also references his initials.
Players without tattoos:
Ray Allen
Avery Bradley
Ryan Hollins
JaJuan Johnson
Greg Stiemsma
No longer on roster:
Chris Wilcox: Wilcox has a tattoo on his left shoulder.
Milwaukee Bucks, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 71% (10 with tattoos, 4 without)
The Bucks have had a tough time establishing an identity over the last few decades, with their marquee players falling to injury and many seasons passing without much note. In the last year this “fear the deer” movement has started though, and fittingly, the Bucks have assembled a bunch of oddballs and unpredictable players who can embrace both the silliness and the necessity of the slogan. Their tattoos follow suit.
—
Players with tattoos:
Andrew Bogut
Bogut has a tattoo on his back but he’s not really willing to discuss it: “The tattoo is a mix of things, a lot of it is kind of personal,” he explained one one of those NBA.com player chats, “There’s some Australian stuff and also some Croatian stuff in it.” Which is hilarious considering all of the topics he is willing to open his big mouth about.
Jon Brockman
As a teenager, Brockman got a tattoo of the tree of life on his lower back, as did his older brother and sister. “My mom doesn’t like it at all,” he explained to the Seattle Times in 2008, “Neither does my dad. But it’s in a place where no one sees it. It’s something close to me and it reminds me of my brother and sister when I don’t get to see them for a long time. So I like it.”
Carlos Delfino
Delfino sports a dragon on his left shoulder.
Keyon Dooling
On Dooling’s left shoulder is a tattoo of a cross.
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Douglas Roberts is great at twitter, his steady feed a mixture of funny observations, style tips, and hurting feelings. Given his many tattoos, a fan recently asked him for his advice, and CDR replied: “get somem original….& Them shits hurt really bad.”
Drew Gooden
Gooden has historically put a lot of effort into unconventional looks, such as this haircut or this beard. A 2007 Akron Beacon-Journal article focuses in on Gooden’s then-recent tattoo, his first new design 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. Still, nothing really beats actually seeing it.
Brandon Jennings
During Jennings’ rookie year, he answered questions for a Hoops Hype interview, including one about his many tattoos: “On my right arm, it’s laugh now, cry later. It’s for all the haters who said I would never make it in life. And there’s a man holding a ball with a city behind him, which is basically me holding a basketball with my city behind me. On the left one, it’s my mom (Alice Knox) and my brother (Terrence). It shows I’m blessed.”
Corey Maggette
Maggette has a tattoo on his right shoulder.
John Salmons
Salmons has Chinese characters on his right arm. According to the website NiuBBall.com, it’s identical to Jermaine O’Neal’s Chinese tattoo, and means “person who sells coffins.”
Larry Sanders
Maybe ten years ago someone I knew had to spend some time in prison. He wasn’t exactly a tough guy, so before he went in he decided to get a tattoo that might make him look hard enough that he could avoid fights. He had two full-size pistols tattooed on his waistline, so it looked like the guns were tucked into his pants. It was an intense decision, and one that only half worked.
I’d never seen anyone else with the design until Sanders was drafted by the Bucks and this photo appeared on his twitter page.
Players without tattoos:
Earl Boykins
Ersan Ilyasova
Luc Mbah a Moute
Michael Redd
