inked
December 1, 2011 · 0 Comments
by John Powell
Leslie Pearson did not seem too big into the idea of her 15-year-old getting his first tattoo. But, wearing her down slowly, her son was able to change her mind.
“My fifteenth birthday, I really wanted a tattoo. My mom wasn’t with it at first,” Ryan Pearson said. “But then I was bugging her so much she just took me and was like, ‘You know what, here.’ And then next thing I know I just went tattoo crazy.”
Years went by and his body was slowly filled with messages. “Wisdom” and “Faith” are on the inside of his biceps. He has a throw-back to his hometown with “NYC” and tells Mason fans who he plays for with his “Family 1st” tattoo.
Even mid-season, the tattoos change. Last year, he had to protect his new elbow tattoo by wearing a faux-sleeve over it.
Pearson knows that basketball may not be his income-earner forever, and that tattoos are not as accepted in the office as they are on the court. But is he stopping any time soon?
“As of right now, nope,” he answered. “When I’m done bouncing basketballs and I want to get a real job and stuff like that, I think I’m going to be out of the tattoo business.”
Getting the team on its feet is his first priority but, if history proves to be true, fans should be seeing more ink on his arms in the near future. However, he has no specific plans for his next tattoo.
“It’s still in the making,” Pearson said. “But it’s coming soon, I can guarantee that.”
