The first tattoo that will be on the back of the NBA player’s back will be his name and number, a design that has become synonymous with the league.
It’s part of a larger effort to instill in players a positive attitude towards themselves, the league and their tattoo.
The new logo will also include the phrase, “I Am Forgiving.”
The league announced Wednesday it will hold its first official ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Friday for the first player to receive the new design.
The unveiling is expected to begin Friday.
The tattoo will be a symbol of the league, but also an expression of hope, said Jason Kipnis, the NBA’s chief creative officer and an associate professor of creative leadership at New York University.
“I think it’s a really important and powerful tattoo,” Kipis said.
“When you’re thinking about yourself, and you’re trying to figure out who you are, I think it gives you the best shot at being what you want to be.”
In recent years, the tattoo industry has seen a steady increase in demand, and the new logo is the first step in a process that is expected in the near future.
The NBA’s creative director, Chris Arsenault, said in January the league is working on a plan to promote tattoos in an effort to increase awareness of the sport.
“In order to promote a tattoo, we need to have an artist who can create the artwork,” Arsenaults said at the time.
“And I think we’re in a place where we’re able to do that.”
The first tattoo will feature the phrase “I am forgiving” and a heart, and it will be inked on the right side of the body, Kipnes said.
The next tattoo will include the same message.
Kipnis said the new tattoo is more than just a way to promote the league or showcase its athletes.
He said it is part of the new way the league wants to approach its brand.
“The league has really invested in being more inclusive of all of our players and how that makes them feel and who they are and how they can better represent themselves,” Kippnis said.
The NBA’s logo has been one of the most recognizable logos in the sport, and Kipris said it was the first thing people noticed when the league unveiled its new logo.
He described the logo as “the heart of the logo” and said it will become the main focal point of the brand.