Shawn Marion Tattoos

The Controversy Behind Shawn Marion Tattoos

Shawn Marion tattoos have attracted more than their share of attention in recent years. Unfortunately, there is not much positive to say about the misfortune he has running down the side of his right calve except that he brought awareness to the importance of being sure you trust your tattooist.

Shawn Marion Tattoos are currently seen, accented by the Dallas Mavericks jersey that is wears. Kenny Smith, TNT analyst nicknamed Shawn The Matrix during his rookie year preseason due to his remarkable and nearly unparalleled athleticism.  He is one of the few players that has the strength, speed and skills to play a variety of positions, making him one of the NBA’s most versatile players.

In the 1999 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns chose Marion and in 2004 he joined the United States men’s basketball team for the Olympics. On February 14th, 2009 Shawn Marion was traded along with Marcus Barks to the Toronto Raptors but by July 2009, he found his home, signing a $39 million, 5-year contact with the Dallas Mavericks.

Lost in Translation

While Shawn Marion tattoos do include an exceptionally well done cross on his right bicep, there is little you can find out about this piece since tabloids and the internet only speak about the ink on his leg. The most talked about Shawn Marion tattoos is the one he had done on his right lower leg in 2003.  What his intentions were and what he requested was the Chinese lettering for The Matrix, his nickname.  Of course, this was around the time that lettering made a splash on the scene so kudos to Marion for acknowledging the trend on time.

So, what’s the problem with the Shawn Marion tattoos that are suppose to display his nickname? Well, according to Hanzi Smatter, a site that was designed to determine fouls, this is not what the tattoo means at all.

The first symbol is translated as evil spirits, demon or magic power. The second symbol represents a bird and the third is a sign of camphor, yes, the plant used to make mothballs. Demon Bird Mothballs, enough said!

In Marion’s Defense

Although the Shawn Mario tattoos have been the concentration of a lot of ridicule, there actually is some validity to his tattoo. It appears as though his intentions may have been leaning toward the Japanese phonetic translation.  The characters sounded out in this way are Ma-tori-kusa which is about the closest Japanese translation you can get because every Japanese letter (except N) ends in a vowel.  Since his tattoo is able to be interpreted as art, there is a chance that there is no error at all.