Kyle Kuzma’s tattoos read like a scrapbook of what has shaped him: Flint, Michigan, faith, family, basketball, art and the NBA players he watched growing up. The designs stretch across his arms, shoulders and legs without following one uniform style. In his GQ Sports tattoo tour, he explains how some pieces connect to his life. Others are playful or simply images he liked, and that mix keeps the collection from feeling like a brand.
The lion and rose began with basketball and being a Leo
Kuzma’s first tattoo was a lion’s head on his left shoulder, which he got at 18. The choice suits his Leo star sign, but the design has another layer: the back of the lion’s head turns into a basketball, tying the zodiac image to the sport that became his safe place and career.
He has said the first session took about three hours. That makes it feel less like a quick experiment and more like the start of a lasting relationship with tattoos. The lion is large enough to set the tone for what followed: bold images and personal references that take up real space.
A rose on the other shoulder gives the upper body a second visual anchor. The two tattoos are different, but they balance each other. That’s often how Kuzma’s collection works: one piece has a clear story, while another is there because he liked how the image fit.
Flint keeps his hometown close
The word Flint appears in red, white and black on the side of Kuzma’s lower left arm. It’s a direct tribute to the Michigan city where he grew up.
He has described Flint as a difficult place with plenty of temptation, but also as the place where basketball gave him a safe haven. The tattoo holds both parts of that story. It doesn’t pretend his hometown was simple or reduce it to a headline about hardship; it carries the people, pressure, court and reasons he kept working.
The name is easy to see in photos and during games. On his lower arm, it stays close to the hands that helped make basketball his route forward. Flint isn’t just where Kuzma started; it’s part of what kept him going.
Praying hands and Ginny honour his grandmother
Above Kuzma’s elbow are praying hands with rays of light, and below them is the name GINNY. The tattoo honours his grandmother, who died while he was still in high school. It turns a family memory into something he can carry with him.
The praying hands draw on familiar religious imagery, but the name makes the piece specific. Without Ginny, it could belong to anyone; with her name, it becomes a direct act of remembrance rather than faith in the abstract.
Doves, scripture, an eye and a cross appear elsewhere among his religious tattoos. This family name keeps those bigger themes grounded in the people closest to him.
The sacred heart and doves mark a new beginning
On the upper part of Kuzma’s left wrist is a Sacred Heart of Jesus wrapped in chains, with flames rising above it. It brings traditional tattoo imagery into the collection: the heart suggests love and devotion, while the fire gives the design energy.
Above it, doves fly through clouds. Kuzma has explained that they mark a new phase in his life, recalling the birds sent out after the flood in the story of Noah. One returned with a branch, a sign that the difficult period had passed and a fresh start was possible.
That idea fits a career that took him from Flint to college basketball and then the NBA, with each step asking him to adapt. The doves aren’t just decorative filler; they stand for beginning again after pressure, uncertainty or loss.
The eye and scripture add a quieter layer
Kuzma has a green eye tattoo on his left elbow, with an eye-and-cross design above the scripture on his inner forearm. He has said the eye and cross simply looked good in that spot—a useful reminder that a tattoo doesn’t always need a big biography.
The verse comes from Proverbs 16:20 and focuses on wisdom, trust and happiness. It sits near his other religious pieces, but the words add a different rhythm from the images around them.
The eye, cross and verse make a small cluster of symbols and language rather than one illustration. Kuzma is comfortable letting a purely visual choice sit beside tattoos tied to family or faith.
The flag tattoo pays tribute to Nipsey Hussle
One of Kuzma’s most meaningful tattoos is a striped flag marked TMC, short for “The Marathon Continues,” a phrase associated with Nipsey Hussle. Kuzma got it after Hussle died in 2019.
It’s a tribute, but it also reflects Kuzma’s own view of life as a marathon. He has connected the words to the adversity he has faced and the need to keep moving toward the finish line. The design holds respect for Nipsey and a personal rule for Kuzma at the same time.
The flag gives the piece the feel of a banner. It’s easy to read and not hidden away as a tiny mark. Like the Flint tattoo, it places him in a wider community: one design names home, the other honours an artist whose work and outlook reached him.
Kuzma also has an angry Rich Uncle Pennybags character from Monopoly. He has described the board game as a family favourite, with games at home lasting for hours. That makes the tattoo a family memory, but it’s also plainly fun.
A snake, gorilla, cartoon and other illustrative designs add more movement around the solemn pieces. The collection can move from his grandmother’s name to a cartoon character without feeling confused; both belong to the same person.
Kuzma has also pointed to the influence of players he watched as a kid, especially Allen Iverson and Chris Andersen. Iverson showed how tattoos could become part of a basketball identity, while Andersen treated his body like a bold piece of art. Kuzma found his own space between symbolism and visual style.
The themes become clearer when the pieces are grouped. Flint and the lion look back to home and beginnings. Ginny, praying hands and scripture keep family and faith close. The doves and TMC point toward survival and new chapters; Monopoly, the snake and cartoon images leave room for fun.
Not every tattoo has a published explanation, and there’s no need to invent one. The stories Kuzma has shared about Flint, Ginny, religion, basketball and Nipsey Hussle already give the collection plenty of meaning.
There’s a relaxed honesty in the way he talks about the ink. He’s comfortable with serious memorial pieces and just as comfortable saying a design looked good in a spot. The tattoos matter without pretending every choice was part of a master plan.
Across his arms and shoulders, the designs record where Kuzma came from, the people who helped him, the artists who influenced him and the beliefs that keep him moving. The collection is busy, but the thread is clear: art helps him remember, reset and keep playing.
Watch Kyle Kuzma explain his tattoos
In his GQ Sports tattoo tour, Kuzma talks about the lion, the Flint tattoo, his religious pieces and the designs tied to the people and ideas that shaped him.