Washington Wizards, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 47% (7 players with tattoos, 8 without)
The Wizards have a lower tattoo percentage than last year.
Players with tattoos:
Trevor Ariza
Among Ariza’s many tattoos are 5 designs dedicated to his younger brother, who died when they were both children. As described by a New Orleans Times-Picayune profile, these tributes are, “displayed on Ariza’s arms, chest and neck and include a sketch of Tajh’s likeness, clasped hands in prayer over Tajh’s name, and on the inside of Ariza’s left forearm, the words ‘Blood is thicker than water. I am my brother’s keeper. Rest in peace, Tajh. I miss you.’”
Leandro Barbosa
Among Barbosa’s few tattoos is the text “Love, sacrifice, and union” on the back of his neck.
Bradley Beal
A good percentage of Beal’s tattoos are dedicated to his family. As described by a recent Washington Post profile, his right arm features “four descending stars, with the letters B-E-A-L inside, and names of his four siblings — Brandon, Bruce, Byron and Bryon — to the right of the stars. The names of his parents, Bobby and Besta, arch above them all.” The article also mentions that his mother accompanied Beal to his first tattoo session, and that he was fifteen years old at the time.
Trevor Booker
A Washington Post profile printed at the beginning of the 2010-11 season praised Booker for his tenacity, and described a tattoo that represents the distillation of his attitude: “Booker wears his motto tattooed across his chest. It reads, ‘I am free of all prejudice/I hate all opponents equally.’
Cartier Martin
In the summer of 2011, Martin had the words “Beware of the Grind” tattooed on his left arm.
Kevin Seraphin
Normally hidden by his jersey, Seraphin has an elaborate tattoo of an angel on his back.
Martell Webster
Webster was raised by his great-aunt Beulah Walker, a relationship explored in a 2006 Washington Post article. The piece describes Webster’s first two tattoos, and his process of asking his great-aunt for permission:
Shortly after he was drafted, Webster convinced Walker to let him get a tattoo of her eyes on his left shoulder and of Jesus on his right. “He said, ‘With you on my left side and Jesus watching me on my right side, I’m going to make it.’ So I said ‘Yes.’ Cause I’m a very religious woman,” said Walker, who added that she hates tattoos.
Players without tattoos:
Jason Collins
Nene
Emeka Okafor
A.J. Price
Chris Singleton
Garrett Temple
Jan Vesely
John Wall
Indiana Pacers, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 50% (7 players with tattoos; 7 without)
Last year, I used this space to complain about Jeff Foster and Josh McRoberts, neither of whom are now on the Pacers. More embarrassingly, the accompanying photo of Solomon Jones is from his days on the Hawks. While the Pacers have one of the lowest tattoo percentages of NBA teams, I have to say their tattoos are really interesting and kind of unsolvable, which I appreciate.
Players with tattoos:
Lou Amundson
Amundson’s sole tattoo was described in a 2009 Phoenix New Times article about tattoos on the Suns. That Phoenix team included Shaq, STAT, and Matt Barnes, so the article is mostly given over to their work, but buried in the text is this heartbreaking description of Amundson’s tattoo: “It’s on the right side of his chest and has the words “R.I.P. 34” surrounded by flames. He got the tattoo to commemorate the life of his best friend, Billy Feeney, a teammate at Monarch High School in Louisville, Colorado, and a player for the University of New Mexico Lobos. Feeney hanged himself in August 2003. Amundson doubts he’ll get another tattoo.”
Leandro Barbosa
Barbosa has a tribute to his mother tattooed on his ribs.
Paul George
George has a pretty great chess-themed sleeve on his left arm.
George Hill
In May of 2011, Hill posted a photo of a new tattoo on his twitter page. The design features the state of Indiana with a star emerging from Hill’s birthplace, Indianapolis. In June of 2011, Hill was traded from the Spurs to the Pacers. Homecoming!
Dahntay Jones
Another Pacer representing his home state through tattoo is Jones, born in Trenton, whose right shoulder shows the state of New Jersey wearing a crown.
Lance Stephenson
Playing in a summer league at the age of 15, Stephenson so impressed Bobbito Garcia that Bobbito gave him the nickname “Born Ready,” citing the young guard’s ability to go up against older players, even NBA players. Stephenson had the nickname tattooed on his shoulder alongside the skyline of Coney Island, where he grew up.
David West
For a 2008 Sports Illustrated profile, West discussed the tattoos on his wrist, one reading “LIVE FREE” and the other reading “BLACK SOUL.” He described the former as “self-explanatory,” but was much more enigmatic about the latter: “It has to do with a dark mystery I’m associated with; I won’t talk about that.”
Players without tattoos:
Darren Collison
Kyrylo Fesenko
Danny Granger
Tyler Hansbrough
Roy Hibbert
Jeff Pendergraph
A.J. Price
No longer on roster:
Jeff Foster: no tattoos
Toronto Raptors, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 60% (9 players with tattoos, 6 without)
The Raptors are an international team with an international roster, including players from France, Nigeria, Brazil, Italy, Spain, and Lithuania. American players are far more likely to have tattoos than non-Americans, and a majority of the un-tattooed players on Toronto are from Africa and Europe. However, they do have two of the undeniably rare tattooed foreign players.
—
Players with tattoos:
Alexis Ajinca
Ajinca has a tattoo below his right ear that, as he explained to a reporter in 2010, is ” a symbol that means, ‘The great talent sent from God.’” Apparently it is also the logo for the TV series Heroes, a drama about mutant children.
Leandro Barbosa
Among Barbosa’s few tattoos is the text “Love, sacrifice, and union” on the back of his neck.
Jerryd Bayless
Bayless has a massive backpiece, which he describes as, “a college mistake, I regret it every day.”
Ed Davis
Davis came into the league with heavy coverage of both arms, a rarity in the 2010 rookie class.
DeMar DeRozan
Among DeRozan’s tattoos is a tribute to his grandmother, which he discussed in a 2010 profile: “[Points to his right forearm] This one right here, for my grandmother. I got it done right after last season after she passed. She meant a lot to me — it was only right that I [commemorate her] like that.”
Reggie Evans
Evans has tattoos along both arms, including his mother’s name—Janie—tattooed along his left forearm.
Amir Johnson
His tattoo buddy Sonny Weems posted a photo of Johnson in the tattoo chair on Twitter, and a few hours later posted a detail of the finished design.
James Johnson
Johnson almost sounds defensive when describing his tattoo choices: “All my tattoos mean a little something. I’m not going to put something on myself that doesn’t mean anything. I have a big family so a lot of my tattoos have to do with my family or my religious beliefs.”
Sonny Weems
Clearly a tattoo enabler, not only does Weems accompany his teammates to the tattoo shop, but he occasionally has his artist set up in his house for tattoo parties.
Players without tattoos:
Solomon Alabi
Andrea Bargnani
Jose Calderon
Joey Dorsey
Sundiata Gaines
Linas Kleiza
Julian Wright
Washington Wizards, 2012-13
Tattoo percentage: 47% (7 players with tattoos, 8 without)
The Wizards have a lower tattoo percentage than last year.
Players with tattoos:
Trevor Ariza
Among Ariza’s many tattoos are 5 designs dedicated to his younger brother, who died when they were both children. As described by a New Orleans Times-Picayune profile, these tributes are, “displayed on Ariza’s arms, chest and neck and include a sketch of Tajh’s likeness, clasped hands in prayer over Tajh’s name, and on the inside of Ariza’s left forearm, the words ‘Blood is thicker than water. I am my brother’s keeper. Rest in peace, Tajh. I miss you.’”
Leandro Barbosa
Among Barbosa’s few tattoos is the text “Love, sacrifice, and union” on the back of his neck.
Bradley Beal
A good percentage of Beal’s tattoos are dedicated to his family. As described by a recent Washington Post profile, his right arm features “four descending stars, with the letters B-E-A-L inside, and names of his four siblings — Brandon, Bruce, Byron and Bryon — to the right of the stars. The names of his parents, Bobby and Besta, arch above them all.” The article also mentions that his mother accompanied Beal to his first tattoo session, and that he was fifteen years old at the time.
Trevor Booker
A Washington Post profile printed at the beginning of the 2010-11 season praised Booker for his tenacity, and described a tattoo that represents the distillation of his attitude: “Booker wears his motto tattooed across his chest. It reads, ‘I am free of all prejudice/I hate all opponents equally.’
Cartier Martin
In the summer of 2011, Martin had the words “Beware of the Grind” tattooed on his left arm.
Kevin Seraphin
Normally hidden by his jersey, Seraphin has an elaborate tattoo of an angel on his back.
Martell Webster
Webster was raised by his great-aunt Beulah Walker, a relationship explored in a 2006 Washington Post article. The piece describes Webster’s first two tattoos, and his process of asking his great-aunt for permission:
Shortly after he was drafted, Webster convinced Walker to let him get a tattoo of her eyes on his left shoulder and of Jesus on his right. “He said, ‘With you on my left side and Jesus watching me on my right side, I’m going to make it.’ So I said ‘Yes.’ Cause I’m a very religious woman,” said Walker, who added that she hates tattoos.
Players without tattoos:
Jason Collins
Nene
Emeka Okafor
A.J. Price
Chris Singleton
Garrett Temple
Jan Vesely
John Wall
Indiana Pacers, 2011-12
Tattoo percentage: 50% (7 players with tattoos; 7 without)
Last year, I used this space to complain about Jeff Foster and Josh McRoberts, neither of whom are now on the Pacers. More embarrassingly, the accompanying photo of Solomon Jones is from his days on the Hawks. While the Pacers have one of the lowest tattoo percentages of NBA teams, I have to say their tattoos are really interesting and kind of unsolvable, which I appreciate.
Players with tattoos:
Lou Amundson
Amundson’s sole tattoo was described in a 2009 Phoenix New Times article about tattoos on the Suns. That Phoenix team included Shaq, STAT, and Matt Barnes, so the article is mostly given over to their work, but buried in the text is this heartbreaking description of Amundson’s tattoo: “It’s on the right side of his chest and has the words “R.I.P. 34” surrounded by flames. He got the tattoo to commemorate the life of his best friend, Billy Feeney, a teammate at Monarch High School in Louisville, Colorado, and a player for the University of New Mexico Lobos. Feeney hanged himself in August 2003. Amundson doubts he’ll get another tattoo.”
Leandro Barbosa
Barbosa has a tribute to his mother tattooed on his ribs.
Paul George
George has a pretty great chess-themed sleeve on his left arm.
George Hill
In May of 2011, Hill posted a photo of a new tattoo on his twitter page. The design features the state of Indiana with a star emerging from Hill’s birthplace, Indianapolis. In June of 2011, Hill was traded from the Spurs to the Pacers. Homecoming!
Dahntay Jones
Another Pacer representing his home state through tattoo is Jones, born in Trenton, whose right shoulder shows the state of New Jersey wearing a crown.
Lance Stephenson
Playing in a summer league at the age of 15, Stephenson so impressed Bobbito Garcia that Bobbito gave him the nickname “Born Ready,” citing the young guard’s ability to go up against older players, even NBA players. Stephenson had the nickname tattooed on his shoulder alongside the skyline of Coney Island, where he grew up.
David West
For a 2008 Sports Illustrated profile, West discussed the tattoos on his wrist, one reading “LIVE FREE” and the other reading “BLACK SOUL.” He described the former as “self-explanatory,” but was much more enigmatic about the latter: “It has to do with a dark mystery I’m associated with; I won’t talk about that.”
Players without tattoos:
Darren Collison
Kyrylo Fesenko
Danny Granger
Tyler Hansbrough
Roy Hibbert
Jeff Pendergraph
A.J. Price
No longer on roster:
Jeff Foster: no tattoos
Toronto Raptors, 2010-11
Tattoo percentage: 60% (9 players with tattoos, 6 without)
The Raptors are an international team with an international roster, including players from France, Nigeria, Brazil, Italy, Spain, and Lithuania. American players are far more likely to have tattoos than non-Americans, and a majority of the un-tattooed players on Toronto are from Africa and Europe. However, they do have two of the undeniably rare tattooed foreign players.
—
Players with tattoos:
Alexis Ajinca
Ajinca has a tattoo below his right ear that, as he explained to a reporter in 2010, is ” a symbol that means, ‘The great talent sent from God.’” Apparently it is also the logo for the TV series Heroes, a drama about mutant children.
Leandro Barbosa
Among Barbosa’s few tattoos is the text “Love, sacrifice, and union” on the back of his neck.
Jerryd Bayless
Bayless has a massive backpiece, which he describes as, “a college mistake, I regret it every day.”
Ed Davis
Davis came into the league with heavy coverage of both arms, a rarity in the 2010 rookie class.
DeMar DeRozan
Among DeRozan’s tattoos is a tribute to his grandmother, which he discussed in a 2010 profile: “[Points to his right forearm] This one right here, for my grandmother. I got it done right after last season after she passed. She meant a lot to me — it was only right that I [commemorate her] like that.”
Reggie Evans
Evans has tattoos along both arms, including his mother’s name—Janie—tattooed along his left forearm.
Amir Johnson
His tattoo buddy Sonny Weems posted a photo of Johnson in the tattoo chair on Twitter, and a few hours later posted a detail of the finished design.
James Johnson
Johnson almost sounds defensive when describing his tattoo choices: “All my tattoos mean a little something. I’m not going to put something on myself that doesn’t mean anything. I have a big family so a lot of my tattoos have to do with my family or my religious beliefs.”
Sonny Weems
Clearly a tattoo enabler, not only does Weems accompany his teammates to the tattoo shop, but he occasionally has his artist set up in his house for tattoo parties.
Players without tattoos:
Solomon Alabi
Andrea Bargnani
Jose Calderon
Joey Dorsey
Sundiata Gaines
Linas Kleiza
Julian Wright
