Guillermo Gustavo “Willy” Hernangómez Geue. the famous Spanish professional basketball player plays at the center position for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best known by his chosen short name as, Willy Hernangomez. Willy has got some amazing body inks that cover the whole of his left arm. Let us see what tattoos he has and what meanings do they hold to him.
When asked about his favorite tattoos, he said ‘I have many.’ However, when asked about his favorite one, he said
“My arm sleeve, everything it means is about my family, my grandparents, I really love them and I miss them, how together, how close my family is and how we are happy. I think that is the key to get through the difficult times and enjoy the good times. And my family means everything to me and my brother. So, I just love to see them every day even though they are far.”
1. ‘Woman with owl headdress’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left inner arm, Willy has got the tattoo of a woman with an owl headdress. Right above the frog, we can see the words, ‘Carpe Diem’ inked.
Meaning: Carpe Diem is the Latin phrase that stands for ‘Live in the Present’ or Seize the Day.
“I remember it was summertime and when I come back home to my house, I showed my tattoo to my mom,” Hernangomez said. “And she was like, ‘You better clean that.’ She was thinking it might be one of those fake tattoos that you put with water and it goes away in 20 days. But I’m like, ‘Mom, no, this time it’s real.’ So she was mad at me at the beginning. But she got used to it. She was OK.”
2. Wrist Writing Tattoo
Tattoo: On the inner arm of Willy, he has got Arabic writing which, when converted into English stands for ‘Family’.
“It means ‘family’ in Arabic,” he said.
“The most important thing for me is my family,” Hernangomez said. “Most of my tattoos mean something about my family. At the beginning, I wanted something small. Nothing crazy. But like they say, once you start, you get addicted to the tattoo, to the ink, and you cannot stop. But obviously, I love tattoos. It’s been two years now with me not doing anything. Hopefully, my next one will be ‘Tokyo 2020’ for the Olympics. I got one in Rio 2016. So, it’s kind of a tradition right now. So, I don’t know. You never know.”
3. Tiger Tattoo
Tattoo: Tiger tattoo on Willy’s left forearm.
Meaning: Tiger is the symbol of bravery, confidence, and strength.
4. ‘Skull and Rose’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Skull and the roses are tattooed on Willy’s left upper arm.
Meaning: Skull is the symbol of evil and death whereas rose is the symbol of love, romance, and affection. Skull and Rose all-together symbolize the struggle between the good and the bad or the truth of life that lies in the co-existence of beautiful and the ugly.
5. Five-Pointed Star Tattoo
Tattoo: Five-pointed star inked on Willy’s left leg.
Meaning: Five-pointed star is the symbol of direction and guidance. It is considered to be the source of guiding one towards the right path in life.
6. Flying Dove Tattoo
Tattoo: Flying Dove tattoo on his left arm.
Meaning: Flying Dove is the symbol of victory, love, peace.
7. ’14’ Tattoo
Tattoo: 14 number is tattoed on Willy’s left wrist.
Meaning: 14 is Wily’s Jersey number for Spain’s National Basketball team.
8. Cross Tattoo
Tattoo: Cross is inked on the inner side of Willy’s left upper arm.
Meaning: Cross is the symbol of Willy’s religious beliefs and views i.e. Christianity.
9. Maori Tattoo
10. Portrait on the left arm
11. Stomach writing Tattoo
12. Rose on Wrist Tattoo
Tattoo: Rose, the symbol of love, romance, and affection is tattooed on Willy’s left inner wrist.
13. Writing on Arm Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘SKY IS THE LIMIT‘ is tattooed on Willy’s left inner forearm.
