Tale of My Tattoo

DANIEL EWING

ClippersGuard

EWING GOT hisfirst, a panther with the inscription king of the court on his right arm as ajunior, at Willowridge (Texas) High and hid it from his parents. Then hisfather saw it and got "so mad, he was at a loss for words," Ewingrecalls. His next tat was of praying hands with the words count your blessingsand his parents' names (Brenda and George)--which they only grudginglyaccepted. "They weren't happy," Daniel says, "but they said atleast this one had meaning."

CARLOS BOOZER

Jazz Forward

BOOZER HAS manytattoos, but his pi√®ces de résistance are on his right and left biceps. Hisleft shows a grizzly bear--an animal plentiful in Alaska, Boozer's homestate--that appears to be clawing through his skin; his right depicts abasketball player in front of a skyline and a mountain, a reference, Boozersays, to his hometown of Juneau. Says Boozer, who's averaging 20.5 points,"I wanted something symbolizing my coming from somewhere small and makingit somewhere big."

JOELPRZYBILLA

Trail BlazersCenter

THE 27-YEAR-OLDgot a tattoo a year from age 18 to 21, then quit inking. On his right armPrzybilla honors shot blocking: Next to not in my house a player wags afinger--"Like Mutombo," he says--after rejecting a shot. Przybilla haspraying hands on his left arm. His chest has a tat of a biblical message andanother of a heart, flowers and his wife's name, Noelle. "It's myfavorite." he says. "But the two on my chest are private. I'm gladthey're covered when I play."

THREE PHOTOS

JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (EWING TATTOOS, EWING HEAD SHOT)

THREE PHOTOS

MANNY MILLAN (BOOZER TATTOOS, BOOZER HEAD SHOT)

TWO PHOTOS

STEVE DIPAOLA/REUTERS (PRYZBILLA TATTOOS)

PHOTO

ROB HOLT/ICON SMI (PRYZBILLA HEAD SHOT)