Udonis Johneal Haslem is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before signing for Miami Heat in 2003, Udonis had also played for France for a year. Talking about his college days he used to play for Florida Gators. Udonis is no doubt is known to be too professional a player, however, this doesn’t take him an inch away from his addiction to getting tattoos done on his body. He has got a good number of inks done which adorn his body ranging from religious as well as family tattoos. Let us see what he has in store for us to explore.
1. State Map of Florida Tattoo
Tattoo: Udonis carries a legendary tattoo on his back which contains the outline of the state map of Florida.
Meaning: Udonis was born in Miami, Florida, United States. The decision to get the state map tattooed was none other than his deep love for his birthplace.
2. ‘Galatians 6:9:’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The right side of his torso is inked with the bible verse Galatians 6:9 which says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Meaning: The verse accords to mean that we should never grow tired of doing good in life and for anyone because whenever the time comes and we would be in need of blessings God would surely bless us well for our good deeds.
3. “THE Under Dog” Tattoo
Tattoo: The inner side of Udonis’ right bicep is inked with the word, ‘THE Under Dog’. The reason behind getting this tattoo is not known but it is known that he got it done in the year 2010 by the artist, Junk Roxxx and the tattoo was revealed by the tattoo artist itself, without any revelation by Udonis till date.
4. ‘100% REAL’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Across the knuckles of his hands, Udonis wears an ink which all together can be read as, ‘100% REAL’ on his right and left-hand fingers, respectively.
Meaning: In an interview Udonis while talking about his personality said that he is a very direct person and has always been real with everyone and doesn’t think once before saying the reality of the person opposite to him, and now we know why he has this tattoo on his body.
5. ‘Diesel’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Udonis’ right bicep carries the word, ‘Diesel’ inked.
Meaning: Udonis Haslem idolized Shaquille O’Neal. As a youngster, Haslem was always compared by his friends to O’Neal and thus, his friends started calling him by Shaq’s nickname, “Diesel”.
“I’ve been a fan of Shaq for so long, and at one point I thought I probably would be as big as Shaq, but it didn’t turn out that way,” said Haslem,
6. ‘Family First’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Udonis’ both hands are adorned with the tattoo which says, ‘Family First’, such that the right-hand carries the word, ‘Family’ and the left carries ‘First’. Both of these are surrounded by designs on their surround.
Meaning: Udonis is known to be a very dedicated family man and has been very close to his mother and stepmother.
7. ‘Polynesian’ Tattoo
Tattoo: His left shoulder is covered with Polynesian art. Most of the people get Polynesian tattoos to represent the strong religious faith as the Polynesian tattoo are considered sacred. Most of them represent courage, strength, and power.
8. ‘Mary’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The outer side of his left shoulder is tattooed with the portrait of the Virgin Mary.
Meaning: The Virgin Mary tattoo is a representation of the unconditional love and hope in troubled times. Udonis is a very devotional and religious person and this tattoo tells us about his religious beliefs and how he is looking for blessings from the heavens.
9. ‘Josia’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The inner side of his right bicep is inked with the word, ‘Josia’. Josia is the name of Udonis’ son (Josia Haslem).
10. Son’s Name Tattoo
Tattoo: On the right side of his chest, Haslem has got his son’s name tattooed Elijah (Elijah Haslem).
11. ‘Udonis Haslem’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The inner sides of Udonis’ forearm are inked with his own name, ‘UDONIS HASLEM’ inked on his right and left arm, respectively. His first name is tattooed inside a cross which also showcases the rays on the top of it and all its sides and can be seen on his right arm and here in the first image.
12. ‘Rosary Beads’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Across his neck and chest is the tattoo of the rosary beads necklace along with the cross pendant.
Meaning: Wearing rosary beads around the neck is considered to be sacred, however, rather than wearing the original one people rather get a tattoo and so is why Udonis has got this tattoo. The cross pendant along with it is the symbol for protection and seeking Jesus’ blessings.
13. Leopard Tattoo
Tattoo: The inner side of his left forearm contains the tattoo of the leopard shaded in all dark black ink.
Meaning: Leopard tattoo is the symbol of strength and power.
14. Neck Tattoo
15. ‘305’ Tattoo
On the left upper arm, we can see the number, ‘305’ inked. Haslem is known as Mr 305 because the area code for Miami is 305 and the tattoo is the area code for the city as he was born in Miami, Florida.
16. ‘1707’ Tattoo
17. ‘DEKE’ Tattoo
The inner side of his right upper part carries a tattoo that says, ‘DEKE’ inked vertically.
18. Left Arm Tattoo
Tattoo: His left forearm is all covered with multiple tribal faces.
19. Happy and Sad Masks
Tattoo: Udonis’ right arm is inked with happy and sad masks which depict, ‘Smile now and cry later’, meaning to say that you should wholeheartedly believe in living your life to the fullest now and think of the consequences in the future itself.
20. Date Tattoo
Tattoo: On the inner side of his left arm there is date tattooed which can be read as, ‘12.23.98’ followed by the angel wings on both sides. Angel wings are significant of the fact that this date is very close to his heart as someone close to hi heart died on it.
21. Anchored Cross Tattoo
Cross with an anchor on its base is inked on the backside of Udonis’ left ear.
Meaning: The anchored cross is a stylized cross in the shape of an anchor. It is a symbol of hope, peace, and to mark fresh beginnings as shown in The Bible, Hebrews 6.19: “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil”
22. ‘My First Love’ Tattoo
Tattoo: His right arm is covered with a portrait of a lady which also carries the words underneath that can be seen as, ‘My First Love’.
Meaning: The portrait is of Udonis’ biological mother, ‘Debra Haslem‘, who had died of cancer over the weekend at age 53. Udonis has multiple times talked about his close relationship with mother and badly he misses her now. She was the strongest lady who had recovered from being robbed and raped.
“I lost my mom, Debra, to cancer in 2010. Debra was my first love, and I have a tattoo on my arm that says “First Love.”
“My mom was the strongest person that I’ve ever known. She came back from drug addiction and homelessness. She was able to recover from both and other challenges, being robbed and raped. She went to homeless shelters and recovering addict seminars, encouraging those people. She was an inspiration to other people who went through the same struggle. We started to get back in contact over time and our relationship just grew, and she became pretty much my best friend. Later on, Debra and my stepmom, Barbara, formed a great relationship.”
23. ‘R.I.P CHIP’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left forearm there is a pendant like a tattoo that contains the words, ‘R.I.P CHIP 7.8.77-1.31.06’ inked vertically inside the pendant.
“In 2006, my friend Chip was shot in the back leaving someone’s house. I got a tattoo on my forearm that says “R.I.P. Chip.” And about two years later, my other friend Frank was shot in the head coming out of a hotel. They had both grown close to me like family. After Frank died, I broke down. It was a struggle for me because I felt like every time I turned around, my friends were dropping. I don’t cry often, but it was one of those days that I was really feeling it.”
24. ‘R.I.P Sam’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the right side of his neck, Udonis has got the tattoo which says, ‘R.I.P Sam’.
Meaning: Udonis’ older brother Samuel Wooten had died of Aids in 2000. Udonis got this done as a tribute for him as he was very close to him and also was the first person to have ever encouraged him for playing Basketball.
“I also lost my older brother, Sam, to AIDS in 2000. He actually took me to the basketball court and first put the basketball in my hand, because my father was working.”
25. ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Udonis carries a very precious and religious tattoo on his left bicep which includes a cross along with the words ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ such that the words are inked on the five sides of the cross.
Meaning: Cross tells us about Udonis’ religious beliefs and also how close a relationship he shares with God and holds great faith in his destiny.
26. ‘Praying Hands’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Udonis being an avid believer of his religious faiths and customs, considers his relationship to God too close and seeks God’s blessings always. Thus, we can see a pair of praying hands inked on his left upper arm.
27. ‘Mother and Step Mother’s’ Name
Tattoo: Near his collarbone, Udonis has got the first names of his Mother, ‘Debra Haslem’ as ‘Debra’ and ‘Barbara Wooten’ as Barbara inked.
Meaning: Udonis shared a very close bond with his mother as well as his Step-Mother. Haslem had battled drug abuse and thus, when Udonis was growing up, Udonis‘ stepmother, Barbara was largely responsible for raising him. However, after taking treatment in 2001, Debra reconciled with her son, and also became close with Barbara. As the tribute of his love for them, he got their names inked right above his chest.
“Growing up, I was always a kid that was taught to help others. Barbara was the most influential in that area because it takes a special woman to raise a kid that’s not her natural-born son. She treated me just as well as she treated her other kids. She was always the person that when my friends couldn’t get a decent meal or they were having trouble at their house, they could always come to our house and spend a night with us, eat at our house. We didn’t have much, but we were always willing to share and help others.”
