Jayson Tatum’s 8 Tattoos & Their Meanings

Jayson Christopher Tatum is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays in the NBA for the Boston Celtics. Tatum played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils and was drafted in 2017.

Jayson has some pretty interesting tattoos on his body. Let us take a look at the ones he has and the meanings they hold.

1. ‘Portrait’ Tattoo

Tattoo: The side of the player’s left lower leg has a portrait of a woman and a child’s face on it.

Meaning: The portrait tattoo on his leg is a portrait of himself as a baby, and his beloved mother, Brandy Cole.

2. Quote on Leg

Tattoo: Jayson’s left calf has the words, “I JUST DIDN’T QUIT” tattooed on it. There is a pair of checkered flags below the quote too and the words, “Hussle Man” tattooed below the flags.

Meaning: The quote on his leg comes from Nipsey Hussle’s words, “I just didn’t quit. That’s the only distinguishing quality” and the tattoo is a tribute tattoo for the late rapper.

3. ‘Jersey and 98’ Tattoo

Tattoo: The left knee of the player has the number, 98 tattooed on it with a star in its background. The inside of his left leg also has a tattoo of two jerseys on it. One of the jerseys has the number 0 on it with Duke written above it and the other one has the number 22 on it with Chaminade written above it.

Meaning: The number 98 on his knee represents the year of his birth. Jayson was born on March 3rd, 1998. The Chaminade jersey represents the High School he attended, “Chaminade College Preparatory School” and the number he wore when he played for them. The Duke 0 jersey represents his college basketball jersey with the Duke Blue Devils and the number he adorned there.

4. ‘Father and Son Tattoo

Tattoo: Tatum’s left thigh has another tattoo of a family member on it. The tattoo shows a portrait of a man holding up a baby in his arms while wearing Tatum’s jersey. The words, “like father, like son” are tattooed below the portrait too.

Meaning: The tattoo on his thigh is of himself, holding his son, “Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr.” whom he adores very much.

5. ‘St. Louis’ Tattoo

Tattoo: The right thigh of the player also has a tattoo on it. The tattoo shows a smoke cloud after an explosion with the words, “St. Louis” tattooed above it and the words, “’til the world blows” tattooed below it.

Meaning: The tattoo is a tribute tattoo to Jayson’s hometown, St. Louis, Missouri.

6. Back Tattoo

Tattoo: The words, “GODS WILL” are tattooed across the upper back of the player. The words, “Proverbs 3:5-6” are also tattooed on his back on the right side.

Meaning: The tattoo on his back represents his religious views and faith. The tattoo received a lot of criticism from grammar nazis on the Internet due to the missing apostrophe in the words, “GODS”. The bible verse on his back also represents his faith and has the lines, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

7. ’24’ Tattoo

Tattoo: ’24’ tattoo on his left leg.

Meaning: Jayson got the tattoo of the number ’24’ in the Mamba design to honor Kobe Bryant. In an interview, he said,

I remember that first team when I was hoping, wishing, that I got No. 10. Kobe, everyone knows that was my favorite player. I was 15 years old and got to wear the number of my favorite player. It just felt like I had some level of connection with him.”

8. Tattoo on his back

Meaning: Since Jayson is a native of the city of St. Louis, so he got the tattoo of U. City (University City) inked on his back.