Isaiah Jamar Thomas is a well-known American professional basketball who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Isaiah has been the two-time NBA All-Star and was named after the former Detroit Pistons Hall of Fame guard Isiah Thomas. Isaiah is a highly known name when we talk about the highly tattooed basketball players. Let us walk you through the tattoos that adorn Isaiah’s body from top to bottom.
He says he will “always cherish the art he carries.”
“As a young kid, after seeing tattoos on the court for the first time on a favorite basketball player, Allen Iverson, I always wanted to get tattoos I got my first body tattoo at 16 years old for my hometown of Tacoma, Washington and kept continuing from there.”
1. Son’s Name Tattoo
Tattoo: On his outer forearm, Isaiah has got the tattoo of the name, ‘Jaiden.’ Jaiden is the first name of Isaiah’s elder son. Th names of his other children are James and Jurney Thomas.
2. ‘253’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the top left side of his upper back, Isaiah has got the tattoo of the number 253 headed by the name, Tac-Town. Thomas was born in Tacoma, Wahington, and 253 represents his area code and Tac Town being his hometown. But, he also agreed that he considers it as the worst body tattoo because his tattoo guy messed up, and he couldn’t get it covered up.
“My worst tattoo is on my shoulder, 253, tack town, as I was born in Tacoma Washington. The tattoo guy really messed it up and I thought of covering it up but, you see I have so many tattoos that getting this cover did not really matter.”
3. ‘Bible Writing’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his right pec, Isaiah has got some lines tattooed from Isaiah 54:17 that says, ‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper.
Meaning: “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. NLT. “But in that coming day, no weapon turned against you will succeed. The lines as per the Christian beliefs signify that any weapon or wrong words raised against the person shall bear the consequences as God is there to protect every being.
4. ‘BLESSED’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left upper arm, Isaiah has got another word tattoo that says, ‘BLESSED.’ This tattoo is his complete dedication to the fact that he feels blessed to be what he is today and whatever he has in his life!
5. ‘Born & Raised’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the top left side of his back, there is a number tattoo that reads, ‘253’ headed with words, ‘Tac-Town’ and words, ‘Born & Raised.’ The tattoo represents his hometown, where he was born and brought up. The number 253 represents his street number. Born and raised represents the fact that he was born and brought up in Tac-Town.
6. ‘Matthew 20:16’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Towards the right side of his stomach, there are a few more lines inked which have been taken from Matthew 20:16 that says, ‘So the Last Shall be First, and the First last: for many be called but few chosen.
Meaning: The lines represent the most common saying of our ancestors that the powerful and mighty shall find it hard to find a place in heaven whereas the meek and weak shall prosper. The first, as per the lines, represent the powerful and selfish people who seek to gain power by defying God’s commands and decisions, whereas ‘the last’ is the weak people of the society who are rejected by the world by will gain easy rather, the first entry into heaven!
7. Cross Tattoo
Tattoo: On the outer side of his left leg, there is a cross tattoed.
Meaning: Cross is the Holy symbol of Christians. It is symbolic of the tattoo wearer’s deep faith in Jesus Christ and his blessings. Also, as per the Christian beliefs, the Cross represents the sacrifice that was made by Jesus Christ for the sake of humanity. Thus, a pure representation of unconditional love and sacrifice.
8. ‘10.10.18’ Tattoo
9. Date on Arm Tattoo
“My favorite Cafe, My city code. City of Tacoma, Washington the union station tattoo”
Tattoo: On the inner side of his right forearm, Isaiah has got the tattoo of another date that can be read as ’01-29-12′ Since the date is inked alongside his son’s name, we can assume the date to be the birthdate of Jaiden, i.e. Thomas’ elder son.
10. ‘Psalms 23:4’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left bicep, there is another writing tattoo that includes the lines that have been taken from another of the phrases of The Holy Bible, Psalms 23:4. The lines say, ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.‘. The tattoo on his body only includes the part that says, ‘Fear No Evil, Psalms 23:4‘.
11. Nipsey Hustle Tattoo
Tattoo: On the outer side of his left leg, there is a tattoo that says, “I been fighting battles up a steep hill.”
Meaning: Isaiah revealed about getting this tattoo in tribute to the rapper Nipsey Hussle. Along with the words, there are signature dual checkered flags commemorating the album Victory Lap, a studio album by Nipsey Hustle.
The lyrics chosen to be inked on his body are somehow symbolic of his life battles as to how he had to work hard and make it.
“I been fighting battles up a steep hill”
12. ‘CLUBHOUSE CAFE’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his right forearm, a batch represents the name of a cafe as ‘CLUBHOUSE CAFE’. It is the name of the favorite cafe of Isaiah.
13. Portrait of Grandfather
Tattoo: On his left shoulder, Isaiah wears a magnificent permanent ink of his grandfather. The tattoo is rather a masterpiece and very close to his heart. Under the portrait are the words, ‘Grandpa’
“I got my grandpa’s portrait and it was my first tattoo. I knew my father will not be happy and he was not when he got to know that my mother had accompanied me to getting this tattoo. When I had my basketball match, and you know when the tattoo was seen by my father, he did not get much angry because it was his father who had died and he was a second father to me!
14. ‘Hate Me OR Love Me’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the top of his back, there are words inked that say, ‘Hate Me OR Love Me.’
15. ‘He Died for Me, so I Live for Him’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his leg, Isaiah has got a cross inked along with the words that have been taken from 2 Corinthians 5:15. The lines on his leg are an inspiration from, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Cutting it short, Thomas wears a tattoo that reads; He died for me so, I live for him, inked above and under the cross, respectively.
The Cross is the symbol that Isaiah is a Christian by religion.
16. ‘HOME TEAM’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the inner sides of his biceps, Isaiah has got the tattoo of the words, ‘HOME TEAM’. the tattoo is his dedication of love and respect for his team!
17. Right Bicep Tattoo
18. Left Pec Tattoo
19. Writing on Leg Tattoo
20. MIGHTY MOUSE Tattoo
Tattoo: On his right bicep, there is a red-yellow colored might mouse inked.
“When I was a kid, my coaches, teammates used to call me a mighty mouse. Also, my favorite player, Damon Stoudamire, also has might mouse on his arm.
These two were my first two tattoos and later, it continued getting small ones filling up my arms and there came a time when I was 18, and then, I entered college where you are independent when I have my own money, and I could get many tattoos I want.”
21. Names on Arm Tattoo
Tattoo: Isaiah is known to be very close to his family and this is a big proof of his love. There are tattoos on his left wrist which depict the names of his children. In an interview, he had mentioned, Quesha being the name of his future son.
22. ‘Father’s Nickname’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Another five-pointed star inked on his left forearm includes the name, ‘Pitt’. The name of Isaiah’s father is James but, Thomas calls him ‘Pitt’ with love. Thus, this is another of his tattoo dedicated to his love for his family.
23. Name Initials Tattoo
Tatoo: He has got his own name’s initials tattooed on his left bicep as, ‘I.T.’. He wanted them right under the portrait of his grandfather, as revealed by him in an interview. ‘I.T.’ means Isaiah Thomas.
24. ‘WELCOME TO HILLTOP’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his right forearm, there is a batch with the words, ‘welcome to hilltop.’ The name reflects the name of his street, where Isaiah was born and brought up in Washington.
25. Roaring Crowned Lion Tattoo
Tattoo: On the left side of his stomach, Thomas has got a huge tattoo of a face of a crowned lion.
Meaning: The lion is the symbol of courage and bravery. It shows the strong personality of the tattoo wearer. Thomas is indeed a strong person who never fails to share that he is too proud of his achievements. A lion with a crown is symbolic is an important symbol as per the Christian beliefs and also stands for the outrageous personality of the Lion and, thus, the tattoo wearer who knows how to stand out from his competitors.
“I got lion when I was playing for Boston Celtics.”
26. Portrait of Sister Tattoo
Tattoo: Thomas has got a huge portrait of his sister tattooed on the left side of his upper back.
Meaning: Thomas got this tattoo in the memory of his sister, who is known to have passed away in 2017. He was too close to his sister.
“Portrait of my sister who passed away in 2017. Always on my mind forever.”
27. Right Arm Tattoos
Tattoo: Thomas’ right forearm is a very special piece for him and has important memories linked to it. the piece was done by Randy Harris of Tattoos by Randy. The arm is the ultimate detail of his hometown and, thus, the home city, and also includes his street number and is named as Washington-repping sleeve. There is a date on his arm as -1-29-12 along with the number 253, which is again his street number.
28. ‘Mother’s Name’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left forearm, Thomas has got a name inked inside a five-pointed star that reads, ‘Tina’.
Meaning: Star is the symbol of guidance and direction. People get star tattoos to remain focused in their lives and not go astray from the aims of their lives. Tina is the first name of Isaiah’s mother, Tina Baldtrip.
29. ‘6.23.11 TMC’ Tattoo
30. Writing On Shoulder
Tattoo: On the backside of his body, towards the top, there is another interesting writing that says, “they ask me will I forget about the when I make it, I ask them, ‘will they forget about me if I don’t”
31. ‘JAMES 9.25.10’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the center of his stomach, Isaiah has got a small batch that includes the letters, ‘JAMES 9.25. 20’
