Why are ALL Nba players hella tatted up?

[dora_da_destroyer]

tattoos being more acceptable = more people tatted = more tattoos

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Irony. People always find the most ironic ways to express their "individuality".

why would you consider the simple act of having a tat as expressing individuality? it's the tats that people get that express something about them, not the simple state of having one

 

[Optimus Prime]

even pretty boy Steph is getting tattoos

 

[h2o_proof]

why would you consider the simple act of having a tat as expressing individuality? it's the tats that people get that express something about them, not the simple state of having one

So in my experience, my brother runs a tattoo/barber shop and I have 2 cousins and a family friend who play pro ball as well as 3 nephews on the collegiate level. Every chance I get, I ask them and their friends why they have certain tats and "individuality" is the overwhelming response I get. However, when you look at the current trend, which seems to be the forearm and shoulder sleeves, these are not individual at all. In fact its cringe-worthy how many people go to the shop and request a tat they've seen on someone else, smh. Now if we're talking about RIP tats or particular bible verses or kids names/pictures, I can see the individuality there, to me its still a stretch though cuz its not the words that make tats unique, its the template/stencil...but everybody using the same stencils and fonts. That makes it ironic to me

 

[Shogun]

Illuminati conspiracy.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

So in my experience, my brother runs a tattoo/barber shop and I have 2 cousins and a family friend who play pro ball as well as 3 nephews on the collegiate level. Every chance I get, I ask them and their friends why they have certain tats and "individuality" is the overwhelming response I get. However, when you look at the current trend, which seems to be the forearm and shoulder sleeves, these are not individual at all. In fact its cringe-worthy how many people go to the shop and request a tat they've seen on someone else, smh. Now if we're talking about RIP tats or particular bible verses or kids names/pictures, I can see the individuality there, to me its still a stretch though cuz its not the words that make tats unique, its the template/stencil...but everybody using the same stencils and fonts. That makes it ironic to me

i disagree, it's the person's connection to their tat - what it means to them, that makes it individual. just them having a tat, or the same tat as someone else, or the same font, whatever doesn't negate that it could mean something personal to them. i have an om tat, something thousands of other people have, but the reason i got it and what it means for me is highly personal.

but i will agree there are some people who just see a cute/dope/interesting tat and replicate it....which i don't have an issue with either, for some it's simply another layer of self decor - clothes, jewelry, hairstyles, tats, all shyt to decorate ourselves

 

[h2o_proof]

i disagree, it's the person's connection to their tat - what it means to them, that makes it individual. just them having a tat, or the same tat as someone else, or the same font, whatever doesn't negate that it could mean something personal to them. i have an om tat, something thousands of other people have, but the reason i got it and what it means for me is highly personal.

but i will agree there are some people who just see a cute/dope/interesting tat and replicate it....which i don't have an issue with either, for some it's simply another layer of self decor - clothes, jewelry, hairstyles, tats, all shyt to decorate ourselves

So I think its clear your motivation for posting was the personal nature of your tat, ie, you have a personal story. I get that, salute and everything else that goes with it. Love your posts by the way, so no shade. This thread however, is about NBA players and tats. Not to put all NBA players in a box, but its pretty obvious that there is a small portion of NBA players who make up the overwhelming majority of what is being discussed here..."hella tatted" players. They all have the same tattoo stencils and they all wear the same weird attire...and they all think they're expressing individuality and its all ironic. I'm not gonna get into specific names to support or debunk this theory (but..but... Westbrook doesn't have tattoos...noted...I got it) but I think we're all intelligent enough to deduce that there are NBA players who are impressionable and who youngsters look up to that are not genuine when proclaiming to express individuality.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

So I think its clear your motivation for posting was the personal nature of your tat, ie, you have a personal story. I get that, salute and everything else that goes with it. Love your posts by the way, so no shade. This thread however, is about NBA players and tats. Not to put all NBA players in a box, but its pretty obvious that there is a small portion of NBA players who make up the overwhelming majority of what is being discussed here..."hella tatted" players. They all have the same tattoo stencils and they all wear the same weird attire...and they all think they're expressing individuality and its all ironic. I'm not gonna get into specific names to support or debunk this theory (but..but... Westbrook doesn't have tattoos...noted...I got it) but I think we're all intelligent enough to deduce that there are NBA players who are impressionable and who youngsters look up to that are not genuine when proclaiming to express individuality.

ehh...they don' all have the same stencil...yes they have hella tats, some that might not mean shyt, because they work in a field where they can be that tatted and not raise eyebrows. again, i don't think they're running around thinking the act of having sleeves or neck tats is some unique thing that shows their individuality, but they have those tats because it's a) simply another level of adornment and b) permissible in their field and amongst their generation

 

[h2o_proof]

ehh...they don' all have the same stencil...yes they have hella tats, some that might not mean shyt, because they work in a field where they can be that tatted and not raise eyebrows. again, i don't think they're running around thinking the act of having sleeves or neck tats is some unique thing that shows their individuality, but they have those tats because it's a) simply another level of adornment and b) permissible in their field and amongst their generation

Totally agree, its adornment, but that's not the response you typically get. Maybe some just can't articulate it on that level yet, but that's EXACTLY what it is. Just waiting for some of them to start saying that cuz they got a whole generation of youngsters (not just them, there are other elements at fault) thinking that being trendy is being unique or expressing individuality.

 

[BXKingPin82]

So in my experience, my brother runs a tattoo/barber shop and I have 2 cousins and a family friend who play pro ball as well as 3 nephews on the collegiate level. Every chance I get, I ask them and their friends why they have certain tats and "individuality" is the overwhelming response I get. However, when you look at the current trend, which seems to be the forearm and shoulder sleeves, these are not individual at all. In fact its cringe-worthy how many people go to the shop and request a tat they've seen on someone else, smh. Now if we're talking about RIP tats or particular bible verses or kids names/pictures, I can see the individuality there, to me its still a stretch though cuz its not the words that make tats unique, its the template/stencil...but everybody using the same stencils and fonts. That makes it ironic to me

I feel you
Me personally i have both arms and my chest covered
And mostly its a collage (if i spelled that shyt right) of my life, shyt i like, my sons footsies, etc.
But i will say this tho.
The shyt became real addictive for me and alotta people i know
I mean on boys i think i got all this work done in the frame of like 2 1/2 years

It was like some "yo can you do the kingpin on my shoulder?!" then it was like "yo can you throw my projects in the background?!"

Lol shyts insane. and expensive

 

[h2o_proof]

I feel you
Me personally i have both arms and my chest covered
And mostly its a collage (if i spelled that shyt right) of my life, shyt i like, my sons footsies, etc.
But i will say this tho.
The shyt became real addictive for me and alotta people i know
I mean on boys i think i got all this work done in the frame of like 2 1/2 years

It was like some "yo can you do the kingpin on my shoulder?!" then it was like "yo can you throw my projects in the background?!"

Lol shyts insane. and expensive

I hear you and that's one of the most honest responses I've ever heard someone give that's fully tatted.

I guess I'm just a little different, I'm probably one of the only people in my family out of all my brothers and cousins that don't have tattoos. My thing was always "whatever I'm gonna do, I'm gonna do for me and not for nobody else" and that mantra seemed to not only apply to tattoos, but also to style of dress, putting rims and extra shyt on my vehicles. Pretty much anything that I can't view/observe 360 degrees, or that someone else has a better vantage point of, and I done spent my money on, in my book is for someone else, its for other peoples enjoyment

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Totally agree, its adornment, but that's not the response you typically get. Maybe some just can't articulate it on that level yet, but that's EXACTLY what it is. Just waiting for some of them to start saying that cuz they got a whole generation of youngsters (not just them, there are other elements at fault) thinking that being trendy is being unique or expressing individuality.

see, i don't see/hear the "trendy" or "individual" response at all. maybe back in 1990 or earlier when tats were still relegated or reserved for "certain types of people", but the proliferation and popularity of tattoos post 2000? you'd be hard pressed to find someone who says they did it to stand out, like no one thinks that, a tat in itself is no more unique than wearing a pair of jordans or slim fit jeans. you're more likely to get someone saying "it's cool" or "i like they way it looks", i think you're holding onto an old line of reasoning that's not actually reflective of how people feel about the act of getting/state of having a tat.

 

[010101]

people follow trends*

 

[h2o_proof]

see, i don't see/hear the "trendy" or "individual" response at all. maybe back in 1990 or earlier when tats were still relegated or reserved for "certain types of people", but the proliferation and popularity of tattoos post 2000? you'd be hard pressed to find someone who says they did it to stand out, like no one thinks that, a tat in itself is no more unique than wearing a pair of jordans or slim fit jeans. you're more likely to get someone saying "it's cool" or "i like they way it looks", i think you're holding onto an old line of reasoning that's not actually reflective of how people feel about the act of getting/state of having a tat.

Could be, or maybe people that know me are just afraid to say "it's cool" or "cuz I'm a rockstar", lol. Yeah I'd probably clown them. Maybe it's my fault
I need to cut that out, I'm not allowing them to fully be who they are for fear of humiliation. I'm gonna work on that.

 

[I AM WARHOL]

Honestly i think this thread is kinda interesting. Ive never thought of the why behind the tattoo trend in the nba