Foreign Basketballers Sport Unique Tattoos

Foreign basketball forward Marquin Chandler of the pro team KT&G Kites seems to consider his arm as a piece of blank paper. He has 13 dizzily gaudy tattoos on his arms.

On his inner arms, he has the initials “TAS” of his late sister, who died at a young age, and the initials “ANA” and “T.I.” of his two daughters. Right below them is a tattoo of a globe, which he said means “my daughters are my world.” On his right arm, he has his wife’s initials “ABI” and the phrase “Welcome to Auckland,” mentioning the city of his birth. On his left arm is a picture of God carrying a cross and words such as “Senegal (the homeland of his grandparents).”

This year’s pro basketball season has seen more players with unique tattoos in the Korea Basketball League’s history.

Terrence Shannon of the ETLand Black Slammer, the league’s leading scorer at 27.7 points per game, has the Chinese letters 父母 (father, mother) tattooed on the right side of his neck. He first tattooed 母 in early 2003 because of his yearning for his mother, then added 父 the same year in the Philippines. He said he resolved to do a good job as the father of four children.

Among foreign players, unique and mysterious looking Chinese characters are a popular choice for tattoos. Reggie Okosa of the Dongbu Promy, his team’s leading rebounder with 12 per game, tattooed 母, 福, 愛, 生活 (mother, happiness, love, life) on his arm, letters which he said have valuable meanings that he finds important. Karl Mitchell of the KTF Magic Wings has 道 (ethics) tattooed on the back of his left hand and 神 (god) on his right hand.

Famous among players in the U.S. National Basketball Association is the tattoo on the arm of Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby: 勉族 (best game efforts for one’s beloved family). Teammate Allen Iverson is also well known for colorful tattoos that cover a large portion of his body.

In Korea, where public saunas ban people with tattoos, Kim Seung-hyun of the Daegu Orions is called a tattoo pioneer. Four years ago, he became the first Korean player to get a tattoo, a burning basketball on his right arm. He added a tattoo of a dragon in 2005.

Last year, he added a tattoo of a centaur, a mythical Greek creature. He said it symbolizes the Chinese Year of the Horse, when he was born, and his horoscope sign Sagittarius.

Foreign players with no tattoos include Keena Young, a Catholic, Eric Sandrin, a half-Korean player with the Ulsan Mobis Phoebus, and Brandon Crump and Jason Robinson of the KCC Egis.

They cited religious reasons or no need to have tattoos. Sandrin said his Korean mother would scold him if he got one.

kjs0123@donga.com