U.S.-born basketball player Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. is a member of the National Basketball Association’s current roster. He has dual roles on the Los Angeles Lakers’ basketball team, as a power forward and a center.
Seven times he has been chosen to participate in the NBA All-Star Game, and three times he has been honored to both the All-NBA First Team and the All-NBA Defensive Team. In addition, he participated in the 2012 Olympic team that brought home a gold medal for the United States. He spent time with the Hornets and Pelicans of the NBA’s New Orleans franchise between 2012 and 2019.
After signing a deal with them in 2019, he now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis has several, distinctive tattoos covering his whole body. He has inked himself from head to toe, believing that each tattoo should honor a special event or person in his life. The bulk of his tattoos are memorials to loved ones, both blood and chosen. Let’s take a look at the tattoos he’s gotten and the meanings behind the designs.
1. ‘Mamba’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Anthony’s right thigh contains a tattoo of a black mamba snake coiled up around a logo of a shield.
Kobe Bryant, who went away not too long ago, created the logo, which depicts a sword in a sheath. A favorite saying of Kobe’s goes something like, “The sword is the latent talent lying dormant within a person, and the sheath is the effort that a person makes to develop his talent.” “The Black Mamba” was a nickname that Kobe Bryant earned during his tenure in the NBA. Anthony wanted to show his respect for Kobe by getting a tattoo of his name and number.
2. Portrait Tattoo
Tattoo: The right shoulder of the All-Star contains a tattoo of a portrait of an old man with the words, “REST UP” tattooed above him and the word, “Champ” tattooed below the portrait.
Meaning:Anthony has a deep personal connection to this tattoo as well. Anthony’s maternal grandpa, Lamont Eberhardt, is shown here. Even after Lamont died away in 2010, Anthony still held him in high regard as a role model. Since Anthony always referred to Davis as “Champ,” the phrase “Rest Up Champ” is his way of paying tribute to his mentor. Davis said of Lamont, “I looked up to him. We used to discuss basketball all the time, and I used to go over to his place every day. He always pushed me to do better. He was incessant in his praise of Kobe. I don’t want to say outdo him, but he was constantly pushing me to get out and do stuff.
3. ‘Chicago’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Anthony’s right bicep contains a tattoo of the word, “Chicago” along with the number, 1993 tattooed right below the word but in a smaller size.
Meaning: Anthony Davis was born on 11 March 1993 in the city of Chicago. The tattoo represents the city he was born in along with the year of his birth. When talking about the tattoo, Davis said, “I got it because I love my city and where I’m from, knowing that I wouldn’t be where I am without the city of Chicago”
4. Baby Girl Tattoo
Tattoo: The inner side of his left forearm is covered by a large tattoo of a small baby girl, with two rose flowers tattooed above her head.
Meaning: This is also a very special tattoo for Anthony as it is a tattoo of his daughter, Nala Davis. Anthony got this tattoo to show his love for his daughter with his girlfriend, Brittney.
5. Initials Tattoo
Tattoo: The inner side of his right wrist contains a tattoo of the initials, “A D” on it.
Meaning: While most people would think that the initials stand for his own name, they could not be farther away from the truth. The initials do stand for the name, Anthony Davis but the tattoo is actually a tribute to his father, Anthony Davis Sr.
6. Cross Tattoo
Tattoo: The inner side of Anthony’s right forearm contains a tattoo of a cross.
Meaning: The letters, “RIP” standing for Rest In Peace are also tattooed above the cross and the tattoo was done to pay his regards to a loved one.
7. ‘Stars, Doves, and Name’ Tattoos
Tattoo: All of Anthony’s right forearm is covered in tattoos of stars along with doves at different places that complete his sleeve tattoos. The outer side of his right forearm, starting from his wrist and moving upwards towards his elbow contains the letters, “N, A, L, and A” tattooed on it with a little crown over the N.
Meaning: The letters together spell out the name of his daughter, Nala whom he adores very much.
8. Leg Tattoo
Tattoo: The right side of his lower right leg contains another large tattoo. The tattoo has rarely been seen and is hard to make out as Anthony keeps his legs covered even in games by wearing leg sleeves.