Chicago Bulls, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage:60% (9 players with tattoos, 6 without)
The Bulls increased their tattoo percentage from last year.
Players with tattoos:
Carlos Boozer
Boozer is one of the most heavily tattooed players on the Bulls. In September of this year, he added portraits of his three sons to his legs.
Daequan Cook
Among Cook’s many (10+) tattoos are his daughter’s name and the words “Daddy’s Angel.”
Richard Hamilton
A recent video uploaded by UnFamous Tattoo Culture in Miami shows Hamilton getting a portrait tattooed on his chest. The video also offers glimpses of the other tattoos hidden by his jersey, including the great “Love For the Game” tattoo which features a hybrid basketball/heart (photo above).
Kirk Hinrich
Hinrich has a chain tattooed on his left wrist in honor of his late grandfather.
Nazr Mohammed
Mohammed has his name tattooed on his left shoulder above a basketball passing through a hoop.
Nate Robinson
At the beginning of the year, a USA Today interview included a ton of information about Robinson’s acronym tattoos, including FROG (Fully Rely On God); PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens); JUMP (Jesus Understands My Pain); and GAME TIME (God Answers Me Every TIME).
Derrick Rose
The Windy Apple has a great rundown of all of Rose’s tattoos.
Marquis Teague
Teague has a tattoo on his left shoulder with a basketball and the text “God Judge Me.”
Malcolm Thomas
A U-T San Diego article written during Thomas’s years at San Diego State University discusses the player’s relationship with his daughter. One paragraph describes the tattoo he received several days before her birth: “Thomas had a tattoo added to his right arm, next to the one for his mother. It is a rose with “Mikeala” written beneath it.”
Players without tattoos:
Marco Belinelli
Jimmy Butler
Luol Deng
Taj Gibson
Joakim Noah
Vladimir Radmanovic
Atlanta Hawks, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 53% (8 players with tattoos, 7 without)
The Hawks go pretty classic, with a lot of R.I.P. tattoos, hometown tributes, some nostalgia, and a DMX reference. They have fewer tattooed players than last year, but some pretty respectable numbers overall.
Players with tattoos:
Kirk Hinrich
Hinrich has a chain tattooed on his left wrist in honor of his late grandfather.
Ivan Johnson
Rem Browne of Grantland did a great service by transcribing large portions of a 2008 public radio interview with fan favorite Ivan Johnson. In a particularly emotional segment, Johnson describes his mother’s death and his ongoing connection to her:
I talk to her every day. Little stupid stuff I see in the streets. I laugh with her, talk with her, a pillow that she had in the house that she used to sleep on, I keep that with me all the time. Wherever I go, I keep her obituary with me, just so I can see her face, so I won’t forget how she looked. Before she passed, I got her face tattooed on me, so I’ll never forget how she looked. And that means so much to me.
Joe Johnson
Johnson has a tattoo on his wrist.
Tracy McGrady
McGrady, who has suffered a lot of criticism from announcers and analysts, has a response on his right shoulder, just below a speeding basketball and his nickname. Against a curled scroll, a poignant bit of scripture: “AND EVERY TONGUE THAT SHALL RISE UP AGAINST THEE IN JUDGEMENT SHALL BE COMDEMNED—ISAIAH 54:17.”
Josh Smith
Among Smith’s many tattoos is a throwback Hawks logo (circa 1972-1995) on his left arm.
Jerry Stackhouse
Stackhouse has tattoos on both arms and on his chest.
Jeff Teague
In October of 2011, Teague posted photos of his full sleeves on twitter, representing his hometown of Indiana with the 317 area code, an Interstate 465 sign, and a skyline.
Marvin Williams
Williams is a regular customer at Tattoos by Randy with tattoos on both arms and across his chest.
Players without tattoos:
Jason Collins
Erick Dampier
Willie Green
Al Horford
Zaza Pachulia
Jannero Pargo
Vladimir Radmanovic
Atlanta Hawks 2010-2011
Tattoo percentage: 64% (9 players with tattoos, 5 without)
I didn’t watch the Hawks enough this year to get a good sense of their character. That fight between Marvin Williams and Shawne Williams (of the Knicks) in January was the most memorable event, followed by the little rivalry between Amar’e Stoudemire and Al Horford that took place entirely in the press and was put to rest when the Knicks won their next two match-ups. I guess the lesson is you shouldn’t trust dudes with Marvin the Martian tattoos?
—
Players with tattoos:
Hilton Armstrong
The website UCONN Hoop Legends reports that Armstrong was so proud of his contributions to the 2004 Huskies NCAA championship that, “he had a tattoo of the ring put on his arm.” Sadly, they leave out the details of the design, in which the ring is raised by a kneeling figure who stands no taller than the ring itself.
Jamal Crawford
Players from Seattle tend to have a lot of tattoos (Nate Robinson, Jason Terry, Terrence Williams) and Crawford is one of the heaviest. On his left shoulder is one of the dreamiest basketball-themed tattoos in the league: against a background of heavenly clouds, a hoop glows, with “Jamal” lettered across the backboard in Olde English.
Kirk Hinrich
Has a chain tattooed on his left wrist in honor of his deceased grandfather.
Joe Johnson
Jackson has his mother’s name and an outline of the state of Arkansas (his birthplace) tattooed on his wrists.
Josh Powell
Has a tribute to his deceased son on his back.
Josh Smith
Smith turned 13 years old in 1998, so it’s no wonder that DMX’s Flesh of My Flesh Blood of My Blood had a massive impact on him, enough to inspire the tattoo on his collar.
Jeff Teague
Has tattoos on both arms.
Damien Wilkins
Lightly tattooed on both shoulders.
Marvin Williams
Another heavily-tattooed player raised in Seattle, Wiliams got his first tattoo in high school: Marvin the Martian. Since that time has added many tattoos, including his mother’s name, the letters GBMS (“God Bless My Success”) and the words “Heart of a Lion” across his shoulders.
Players without tattoos:
Jason Collins
Al Horford
Zaza Pachulia
Pape Sy
Etan Thomas
Chicago Bulls, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage:60% (9 players with tattoos, 6 without)
The Bulls increased their tattoo percentage from last year.
Players with tattoos:
Carlos Boozer
Boozer is one of the most heavily tattooed players on the Bulls. In September of this year, he added portraits of his three sons to his legs.
Daequan Cook
Among Cook’s many (10+) tattoos are his daughter’s name and the words “Daddy’s Angel.”
Richard Hamilton
A recent video uploaded by UnFamous Tattoo Culture in Miami shows Hamilton getting a portrait tattooed on his chest. The video also offers glimpses of the other tattoos hidden by his jersey, including the great “Love For the Game” tattoo which features a hybrid basketball/heart (photo above).
Kirk Hinrich
Hinrich has a chain tattooed on his left wrist in honor of his late grandfather.
Nazr Mohammed
Mohammed has his name tattooed on his left shoulder above a basketball passing through a hoop.
Nate Robinson
At the beginning of the year, a USA Today interview included a ton of information about Robinson’s acronym tattoos, including FROG (Fully Rely On God); PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens); JUMP (Jesus Understands My Pain); and GAME TIME (God Answers Me Every TIME).
Derrick Rose
The Windy Apple has a great rundown of all of Rose’s tattoos.
Marquis Teague
Teague has a tattoo on his left shoulder with a basketball and the text “God Judge Me.”
Malcolm Thomas
A U-T San Diego article written during Thomas’s years at San Diego State University discusses the player’s relationship with his daughter. One paragraph describes the tattoo he received several days before her birth: “Thomas had a tattoo added to his right arm, next to the one for his mother. It is a rose with “Mikeala” written beneath it.”
Players without tattoos:
Marco Belinelli
Jimmy Butler
Luol Deng
Taj Gibson
Joakim Noah
Vladimir Radmanovic
Atlanta Hawks, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 53% (8 players with tattoos, 7 without)
The Hawks go pretty classic, with a lot of R.I.P. tattoos, hometown tributes, some nostalgia, and a DMX reference. They have fewer tattooed players than last year, but some pretty respectable numbers overall.
Players with tattoos:
Kirk Hinrich
Hinrich has a chain tattooed on his left wrist in honor of his late grandfather.
Ivan Johnson
Rem Browne of Grantland did a great service by transcribing large portions of a 2008 public radio interview with fan favorite Ivan Johnson. In a particularly emotional segment, Johnson describes his mother’s death and his ongoing connection to her:
I talk to her every day. Little stupid stuff I see in the streets. I laugh with her, talk with her, a pillow that she had in the house that she used to sleep on, I keep that with me all the time. Wherever I go, I keep her obituary with me, just so I can see her face, so I won’t forget how she looked. Before she passed, I got her face tattooed on me, so I’ll never forget how she looked. And that means so much to me.
Joe Johnson
Johnson has a tattoo on his wrist.
Tracy McGrady
McGrady, who has suffered a lot of criticism from announcers and analysts, has a response on his right shoulder, just below a speeding basketball and his nickname. Against a curled scroll, a poignant bit of scripture: “AND EVERY TONGUE THAT SHALL RISE UP AGAINST THEE IN JUDGEMENT SHALL BE COMDEMNED—ISAIAH 54:17.”
Josh Smith
Among Smith’s many tattoos is a throwback Hawks logo (circa 1972-1995) on his left arm.
Jerry Stackhouse
Stackhouse has tattoos on both arms and on his chest.
Jeff Teague
In October of 2011, Teague posted photos of his full sleeves on twitter, representing his hometown of Indiana with the 317 area code, an Interstate 465 sign, and a skyline.
Marvin Williams
Williams is a regular customer at Tattoos by Randy with tattoos on both arms and across his chest.
Players without tattoos:
Jason Collins
Erick Dampier
Willie Green
Al Horford
Zaza Pachulia
Jannero Pargo
Vladimir Radmanovic
Atlanta Hawks 2010-2011
Tattoo percentage: 64% (9 players with tattoos, 5 without)
I didn’t watch the Hawks enough this year to get a good sense of their character. That fight between Marvin Williams and Shawne Williams (of the Knicks) in January was the most memorable event, followed by the little rivalry between Amar’e Stoudemire and Al Horford that took place entirely in the press and was put to rest when the Knicks won their next two match-ups. I guess the lesson is you shouldn’t trust dudes with Marvin the Martian tattoos?
—
Players with tattoos:
Hilton Armstrong
The website UCONN Hoop Legends reports that Armstrong was so proud of his contributions to the 2004 Huskies NCAA championship that, “he had a tattoo of the ring put on his arm.” Sadly, they leave out the details of the design, in which the ring is raised by a kneeling figure who stands no taller than the ring itself.
Jamal Crawford
Players from Seattle tend to have a lot of tattoos (Nate Robinson, Jason Terry, Terrence Williams) and Crawford is one of the heaviest. On his left shoulder is one of the dreamiest basketball-themed tattoos in the league: against a background of heavenly clouds, a hoop glows, with “Jamal” lettered across the backboard in Olde English.
Kirk Hinrich
Has a chain tattooed on his left wrist in honor of his deceased grandfather.
Joe Johnson
Jackson has his mother’s name and an outline of the state of Arkansas (his birthplace) tattooed on his wrists.
Josh Powell
Has a tribute to his deceased son on his back.
Josh Smith
Smith turned 13 years old in 1998, so it’s no wonder that DMX’s Flesh of My Flesh Blood of My Blood had a massive impact on him, enough to inspire the tattoo on his collar.
Jeff Teague
Has tattoos on both arms.
Damien Wilkins
Lightly tattooed on both shoulders.
Marvin Williams
Another heavily-tattooed player raised in Seattle, Wiliams got his first tattoo in high school: Marvin the Martian. Since that time has added many tattoos, including his mother’s name, the letters GBMS (“God Bless My Success”) and the words “Heart of a Lion” across his shoulders.
Players without tattoos:
Jason Collins
Al Horford
Zaza Pachulia
Pape Sy
Etan Thomas
