Let's be honest: Tattoos on an NBA player are almost as common as Amanda Bynes saying something stupid. But they're not all crosses, barb wire and portraits of Jesus. Here are some of the more amazing tattoos current and former NBA players are sporting as well as the stories behind them.
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, Quentin Richardson tattoo]()
The former Clippers, Knicks, Heat and Magic forward's entire body is one giant collection of tattoos, but the one featuring the skyline of Chicago over the phrase "Chicago's Own" is the ink that stands out the most. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the tattoo represents his amazing loyalty to his hometown, where he played both high school and college hoops before going pro. We have to admit, it's hard to be more loyal than covering your entire abdomen with an homage of your city.
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, month ellis tattoo]()
Ellis is apparently also a very loyal player, and to show his loyalty to the Golden State Warriors, Ellis had the Warriors logo inked on his back (near his left shoulder). The problem with that? You guessed it: He now plays for Dallas.
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, kevin durant tattoo]()
We're not sure about the meaning behind Durant's massive back tattoo, but damn, it looks like a painful one. It's probably not as painful as the fact that his tattoo artist initially misspelled the word "mature," though. Everybody from teenagers on Twitter to The Washington Post posted a picture of the back tat along with a couple of quips in regards to the "mautre" mistake. The good news is that since everybody was talking about it, Durant quickly went back under the needle and got it fixed.
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, jason terry tattoo]()
On the surface, the veteran forward's tattoo of the Larry O'Brien championship trophy on his right bicep isn't that breathtaking. But throw in the fact that Terry had the ink job done the October before he became an NBA champion with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2010-11 season, and you now have one of the greatest NBA tat stories of all time.
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, chris birdman anderson tattoo]()
With more than 600 tattoos covering his body, Andersen would probably have trouble getting a job as a bank teller. But being the NBA's most illustrated man sounds like a lot more fun anyway. Andersen decided to get inked because he liked his mom's tattoos. After playing basketball in China, Birdman returned to the States to play ball for the New Mexico Slam. His mother rode her Harley 800 miles to see him play, and she took him to Route 66 Tattoo afterward to get his first taste of ink. He decided on the Chinese symbols for "good" on his left forearm and "evil" on his right one.
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, Deshawn stevenson tattoo]()
This is why you never tell anybody about your tattoos until after you get them. Stevenson said he told his then teammate Gilbert Arenas that he was going to get a tattoo of Martin Luther King, Jr. Arenas thought that was such a good idea that he went out and got it done for himself. Never the follower, Stevenson opted for Lincoln instead because he freed the slaves.
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, wilson chandler tattoo]()
A ton of NBA players have tattoos of cartoon or comic book characters, but try finding one as impressive as this. The Nuggets forward said he chose the Juggernaut because it reminds him to be one on the basketball court. Chandler also said he got the tat because likes X-Men. Obviously.
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, mike scott tattoo]()
The Atlanta Hawks forward has a ton of emoji tattoos on his body, but none are more interesting than the "two girls kind of dancing side by side." When Sam Laird asked him about that one, Scott said, "Yeah, I just like it. I got the two girls on one arm and then the lady in the red dress on the other. I guess you could say I got my girls on one side and then my mistress on the other side."
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, Marcin Gortat tattoo]()
If you think NBA players only care about money, think again. When Marcin Gortat was asked by Reebok to remove his Air Jordan tattoo from his hairy right leg, he said, "It helped me get to the NBA, it's not going anywhere." In a related story, Gortat might be our new favorite player.
![10 Amazing Stories Behind NBA Tattoos, kobe bryant tattoo]()
Most people heard about the $4 million diamond ring Kobe bought for his wife after he cheated on her and was accused of sexual assault in 2003. But you might not have heard about the "Wifey" tattoo he got in October of that year because, well, he pretty much had to at that point.
Quentin Richardson
The former Clippers, Knicks, Heat and Magic forward's entire body is one giant collection of tattoos, but the one featuring the skyline of Chicago over the phrase "Chicago's Own" is the ink that stands out the most. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the tattoo represents his amazing loyalty to his hometown, where he played both high school and college hoops before going pro. We have to admit, it's hard to be more loyal than covering your entire abdomen with an homage of your city.
Monta Ellis
Ellis is apparently also a very loyal player, and to show his loyalty to the Golden State Warriors, Ellis had the Warriors logo inked on his back (near his left shoulder). The problem with that? You guessed it: He now plays for Dallas.
Kevin Durant
We're not sure about the meaning behind Durant's massive back tattoo, but damn, it looks like a painful one. It's probably not as painful as the fact that his tattoo artist initially misspelled the word "mature," though. Everybody from teenagers on Twitter to The Washington Post posted a picture of the back tat along with a couple of quips in regards to the "mautre" mistake. The good news is that since everybody was talking about it, Durant quickly went back under the needle and got it fixed.
Jason Terry
On the surface, the veteran forward's tattoo of the Larry O'Brien championship trophy on his right bicep isn't that breathtaking. But throw in the fact that Terry had the ink job done the October before he became an NBA champion with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2010-11 season, and you now have one of the greatest NBA tat stories of all time.
Chris "Birdman" Andersen
With more than 600 tattoos covering his body, Andersen would probably have trouble getting a job as a bank teller. But being the NBA's most illustrated man sounds like a lot more fun anyway. Andersen decided to get inked because he liked his mom's tattoos. After playing basketball in China, Birdman returned to the States to play ball for the New Mexico Slam. His mother rode her Harley 800 miles to see him play, and she took him to Route 66 Tattoo afterward to get his first taste of ink. He decided on the Chinese symbols for "good" on his left forearm and "evil" on his right one.
DeShawn Stevenson
This is why you never tell anybody about your tattoos until after you get them. Stevenson said he told his then teammate Gilbert Arenas that he was going to get a tattoo of Martin Luther King, Jr. Arenas thought that was such a good idea that he went out and got it done for himself. Never the follower, Stevenson opted for Lincoln instead because he freed the slaves.
Wilson Chandler
A ton of NBA players have tattoos of cartoon or comic book characters, but try finding one as impressive as this. The Nuggets forward said he chose the Juggernaut because it reminds him to be one on the basketball court. Chandler also said he got the tat because likes X-Men. Obviously.
Mike Scott
The Atlanta Hawks forward has a ton of emoji tattoos on his body, but none are more interesting than the "two girls kind of dancing side by side." When Sam Laird asked him about that one, Scott said, "Yeah, I just like it. I got the two girls on one arm and then the lady in the red dress on the other. I guess you could say I got my girls on one side and then my mistress on the other side."
Marcin Gortat
If you think NBA players only care about money, think again. When Marcin Gortat was asked by Reebok to remove his Air Jordan tattoo from his hairy right leg, he said, "It helped me get to the NBA, it's not going anywhere." In a related story, Gortat might be our new favorite player.
Kobe Bryant
Most people heard about the $4 million diamond ring Kobe bought for his wife after he cheated on her and was accused of sexual assault in 2003. But you might not have heard about the "Wifey" tattoo he got in October of that year because, well, he pretty much had to at that point.