Jayson Tatum, the 25-year-old NBA All-Star, has a canvas of tattoos that tells a profound story, encompassing his family, journey to the league, and inspirations. But the origin of this body art journey lies with his father.

Tatum revealed in 2019 that his desire to emulate his father sparked his interest in tattoos. His dad, Justin Tatum, a former college basketball player at St. Louis University, had his own collection of ink, setting an early example for a young Jayson.

However, it wasn’t until just before his rookie season in 2017 that Tatum decided to ink his wrists. He candidly admitted that these initial tattoos were exceptionally painful, confessing, “I was like I’m never doing it again.”

But then life took its course, and he became a father, inspiring his next tattoo. He wanted it to complement his existing leg tattoos. Soon after, he added a portrait of his mother, marking significant chapters of his life in ink.

Over the years, Tatum continued to expand his tattoo collection. Notably, he has his high school and college jerseys artistically depicted on his left leg, with two Black Mamba snakes forming the number 24 just above them, in memory of the late Kobe Bryant.

In 2022, Steve Wiebe, his tattoo artist, crafted a substantial collage on his back commemorating his childhood home in St. Louis. This city remains close to his heart, symbolized by a mushroom cloud tattoo alongside the words, “St. Louis – ’til the world blows,” inked on his right leg.

On his right leg, a portrait of him cradling his son, Jayson Jr., stands proudly, accompanied by the caption, “like father, like son.” Furthermore, he sports the number “98” on his right knee, signifying his birth year, and “Big Deuce” on his hand, a reference to his son’s nickname, ‘Deuce.’

Despite the compelling narratives etched into his skin, Tatum doesn’t shy away from the fact that tattoos can be quite painful. As he puts it, “They hurt though, every time, they hurt.”