Knicks Analysis

Delon’s Ink

A full breakdown of Delon Wright’s tattoos

By Andrew Polaniecki Apr 16, 2025, 3:02pm EDT

Portland Trail Blazers v New York Knicks

Andrew Polaniecki , a Long Island native, has been a devoted Knicks fan since the early 1990s, with a particular fondness for the team's rosters from 1993 to 1997. Andrew is an accomplished writer with a unique style. He contributes to LEGENDS, the magazine of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, and has been published in Slam and Sports Collectors Digest. Andrew is passionate about amplifying the voices of retired athletes, helping them share their career stories, and promoting their post-career ventures.

There was a time in the 90s when there wasn’t a single Knick with a tattoo. If my memory serves me correctly, Hubert Davis and Monty Williams were the first two Knicks to display tattoos on their arms. Hubert Davis had a cross on his bicep with DAVIS serving as the horizontal bar of the cross, while Monty Williams had a small little Kung-Fu fighter on his right bicep.

Boy, have things changed since then. When the Knicks had Melo, Shumpert, JR Smith, and Tyson Chandler, they were one of the most tattooed teams in the league. This year’s roster may not be the most tattooed in the league, but the Knicks certainly have their fair share of players with unique works of art covering almost every portion of their bodies from the neck down.

This week, I wanted to focus on one of the newest Knicks, Delon Wright, and his works of art. His recent play has certainly earned him some love on this page, so rather than another article on his recent play, let’s learn a little bit more about Delon through his unique art.

Delon was born and raised in South Central, Los Angeles, and there’s no shortage of tattoos paying homage to his hometown, starting with the Dodgers “LA” logo on the inner portion of his right bicep. Above the Dodger’s logo, Delon covered his right shoulder with a depiction of the Hollywood and Highland cross streets sign, Los Angeles skyscrapers, bridges, an old school car, and palm trees in the background.

Along the inner portion of Delon’s right forearm, Delon has the entire state of California outlined with both shadows and negative space.

In addition to representing his hometown through multiple spaces on his arms, one of Delon’s most impressive works of art is a full torso tattoo on his chest that fans rarely get to see underneath his jersey. For this piece, Delon chose to go under anesthesia for the session. The incredible work of art includes a bouncing low rider, the “Welcome to South Central” sign, the 105 East highway sign, a flying helicopter, and the year 1992 right below his neck representing the year he was born, with more palm trees and skyscrapers to fill his entire torso.

Delon’s family and his roots are two of the most important aspects of his life, and he honors his loved ones in numerous ways.

Just above the California state tattoo on his right forearm, Delon has his mother’s name, STACY, inked in a custom script. Beside it are the words FAMILY FIRST, accompanied by a pair of praying hands. On the opposite forearm he has his father’s name RAY tattooed in the same location in the same scripted font.

On the opposite side of his right forearm, Wright has the word BLESSED with a dove flying above, tattooed with shadowing that outlines the word that he added years after he originally got the tattoo. This tattoo starts from the top of his elbow and goes down to his wrist.

On Delon’s right underarm, he has the iconic “Laugh Now, Cry Later” masks, with the phrase LAUGH NOW CRY LATER inked around the artwork.

As many NBA fans know, Delon’s brother Dorell also played in the league. On his left shoulder, Delon honors their shared journey with a tattoo of the two brothers standing side by side as teenagers playing basketball with the words THE WRIGHT WAY. A clever play on their last name that celebrates how their path, rooted in family and hard work, led them both to the NBA. Rounding out the piece is another Smile Now Cry Later masks, this time though in the form of two balloons

On the top of Delon’s left wrist, he has the names of his brother, DORELL, and sister, DANAE, tattooed together beneath a full-size skull, accented by roses on the top of his forearm. Just below his ‘WRIGHT WAY’ tattoo, his left bicep features a crown with the phrase CARPE DIEM, and a pair of dice, along with D3 (which may represent his and his siblings first initial’s as the three D’s. Below the D3 emblem, his hometown area code 323 is inked along the inner arm. Right beneath the area code, Wright has the words 1 LIFE 2 LIVE. To complete the sleeve, Delon incorporated extensive shading, including a dollar sign symbol sign, once again utilizing shadows and negative space.