00:00 [upbeat music]
00:02 Yeah, I had zero tattoos in the beginning
00:14 and then I got this small one.
00:16 My initials, two, three months period,
00:18 me and Steve was tattooing literally every day.
00:21 The two, three months, it was like the sleeve happened
00:23 and then this one and then, yeah,
00:25 when I came back that summer,
00:26 everybody was like, "Oh my God, what happened?"
00:29 I think it's definitely addicting.
00:31 The M is for my dad, A is for my mom, Annette,
00:35 and then Janie, Callie, Julian, this is my brother,
00:38 but he changed his name to Bear,
00:41 so I'm gonna have to add another letter on there.
00:43 I feel like my most meaningful tattoos
00:45 are my family portraits, my best friend that passed.
00:49 All of them are just family
00:51 and kinda hold my hat on that forever.
00:54 You know, a face holds so much value.
00:56 When you see me, you're gonna see them.
00:57 You know, they're always with me,
00:58 so I think those are my most meaningful ones for sure.
01:02 Big Filipino, I just got back from World Cup.
01:05 I had a chance to play for the country.
01:07 My grandmother was from there.
01:09 My mom was born there and raised there.
01:11 That's another tattoo I got on my chest too.
01:13 It's my grandmother.
01:14 The Filipino flag is like flying over it.
01:16 That's a big thing I carry with me,
01:18 always my Filipino culture and my love for the country.
01:21 Steve, definitely one of my favorite artists.
01:24 The way we met, I was at a gym
01:25 and he's always down to work,
01:27 so wherever it is, I think, you know,
01:29 there's pictures of him tatting people on planes,
01:31 boats, and whatever.
01:33 It's just his vibe, the way he gets the work done fast.
01:36 He's just one of the best out there.
01:38 I think you see that through a lot of his work
01:39 throughout the NBA and, you know, around the world.
01:42 Tattoo artists is, you know,
01:43 a special talent in their own way too.
01:45 Tattoo Mill in Cleveland.
01:46 He did my chest piece right here with the Hollywood sign.
01:49 A lot of artists that I work with
01:51 are realistic tattoo artists.
01:53 Third one is Raphael.
01:54 He did my Bob Marley, I wanna say.
01:57 Same thing, realistic form.
01:59 My last name on my back.
02:00 I think that was a 10, 11 hour session.
02:03 It was a good process and I loved it.
02:05 Majority of the time I'm getting tattooed,
02:07 I'm playing a game sometimes, watching movies.
02:10 Few times I've fallen asleep, but yeah,
02:12 on my phone, watching TikToks, making the time pass.
02:15 Usually I'm at the house.
02:17 I'm in my Lululemon slides and Lululemon shorts,
02:20 especially when I'm getting my legs done.
02:21 Majority of the time, I'm in like a tank top like this
02:23 or jersey, just something comfortable,
02:25 super comfortable and light.
02:27 The tattoo that took the longest to heal
02:29 was my peace sign on my knee.
02:30 Just 'cause I had got it during the season.
02:33 You know, my knee bending.
02:34 Very often on the court, court burns and stuff like that.
02:37 It took a while for my knee to heal,
02:39 so I had to play with like sleeves and stuff like that,
02:42 just try to get it to heal quick enough.
02:44 During the off season is when I usually spend
02:46 a lot of time getting tattooed,
02:47 just 'cause, you know, I got a lot of time on my hands.
02:50 I usually just work out, come back to the house,
02:51 spend time with my family.
02:53 As part of the off season routine,
02:54 I had two tattoos that I've covered up
02:58 with roses on my shoulders.
03:00 I think it was like Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali,
03:02 but just for flow purposes,
03:04 I thought the roses would look better,
03:06 but those are the only two coverups I got.
03:08 My Allen Iverson one, kinda covers majority of my shin.
03:12 That one took a while too.
03:13 I think in terms of sports, I got Randy Moss
03:17 and then I got Allen Iverson.
03:20 Two people that I grew up watching
03:22 and, you know, respecting their game.
03:23 And yeah, that's the reason why I got them tatted on me.
03:26 The memories that they gave me as a kid
03:28 and how they were as athletes and people,
03:31 I mean, what they did for the culture.
03:32 I think it was both creative and inspiring in so many ways.
03:37 I think my Heath Ledger tattoo is the one
03:39 that's like seen the most in a lot of pictures,
03:41 just 'cause, I don't know, I think it's just
03:43 a prime real estate piece on my arm,
03:44 so super cool and hard.
03:46 If you look at all the Joker movies,
03:48 I think his character is very unique, different.
03:51 His style is different.
03:53 The way he talks is just a iconic villain
03:57 in some sort that I really like.
03:59 The Nipsey tattoo means a lot just 'cause
04:02 I've met him before on multiple occasions
04:04 and was super fan of him during high school and college days
04:08 and then getting a chance to listen to him.
04:10 The way he just culturally shifted stuff
04:13 and how smart he was as a businessman
04:16 and just having that opportunity to meet him
04:19 and he's just an iconic person that will always be around
04:22 and through his music and what he done
04:25 for LA as a community as well.
04:27 My back piece is probably gonna be the,
04:30 I think, the best piece that I ever get
04:33 and that's why it's kinda taking a little minute
04:34 to put it all together, but me and Steve
04:36 cooking up something real nice for that.
04:38 (gentle music)
04:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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