Jordan Clarkson shows off new tattoo tribute to late fashion designer Virgil Abloh
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson paid tribute to late street fashion designer Virgil Abloh with a tattoo on his left thigh. As seen in the photo posted on social media by 2cool2bl0g," Clarkson's new tattoo is a black and white portrait of Abloh, who passed away due to cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare type of cancer, back in 2019.
The news came as a shock to the fashion industry at the time. Clarkson was one of the many fans of Abloh caught off guard by his passing.
The Off-White brand made famous by Abloh has been popular among sneakerheads, hip-hop artists, and athletes. It had notable collaborations with Swedish furniture company IKEA and sneaker brand Nike.
The post didn't mention exactly which tattoo shop or when Clarkson got the tattoo, but the photo is a reminder of how big of a loss Virgil Abloh was to the fashion industry, especially in the world of sports. This is not the first time Clarkson has gotten a tribute tattoo of a deceased person. He has a portrait of his deceased best friend and the late rapper Nipsey Hussle.
The Filipino-American attends fashion shows not only in the US but also internationally during the offseason. The threads he usually puts on reflect his love of anything trendy and fashionable. He's often seen wearing branded designer clothes while arriving at arenas for games, whether on the road or at home.
The story behind Jordan Clarkson's tattoos
Tattoos are common among athletes and the NBA is no exception. Like many of the others in the world of sports, Utah's Jordan Clarkson himself is a tattoo enthusiast.
In a video posted by GQ Sports via YouTube, Jordan Clarkson recalled how he went from having zero ink to now being fully covered with tattoos. He said,
“I had zero tattoos in the beginning, but then I got a small one of my initials. Over the next two or three month period, me and Steve (Wiebe) was literally tattooing every day. The two or three months, the whole sleeve happened. When I came back that summer, everybody was like, ‘Oh my God, what happened?’”
Clarkson has a collection of tattoos like portraits of Allen Iverson, Bob Marley and the initials of his family members. Notably, he also has a tattoo of the Philippine national flag, symbolizing his connection to his Filipino heritage.
To him, tattoos are meaningful. One of his memorable tattoos is an image of rapper Nipsey Hussle, a diehard LA Lakers fan, who died in 2019. Clarkson played for the LA Lakers from 2014 to 2018.