The NBA - Where Unhinged Happens

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*Please see Update at the end of this post.*

Stephen Jackson doesn't know karate but he knows ka-RAY-zee!


I know that this is old news but most of you weren't paying attention at the beginning of the NBA season when Captain Jack unveiled this masterpiece.

The explanation of what the tat means does not make it any less ridiculous:

You see, when Stephen Jackson was playing for the Indiana Pacers, some time after he ran into the stands and attacked a fan half his size, he was at a strip club when some stuff started going down. Naturally, he pulled out his gun and started firing it in the air. Before this season began, he had his day in court, and the situation was resolved.

The tattoo features the iconic "Praying Hands" in front of a cross and stained glass window. Only in this rendition, the hands are holding a gun. It is all a reminder to Capt. Jack of what happened and that he is moving forward with his life.

I see this trend taking off. Young, unwed, pregnant women having their distended bellies tattooed with the praying hands holding a pack of prophylactics. 12-Steppers with the praying hands clasping a bottle of suds. (Let's hope those hands don't get the shakes.) I suppose serial killers would have a plethora of choices for their praying hands: rope, knives, binoculars, Polaroid cameras. The possibilities are endless.

Thank you, Stephen Jackson of the Golden State Warriors, for making the world just a little bit more senseless.

*UPDATE* It has been a month and a half since I wrote this post (it is 3/27). I have become a little fascinated with Stephen Jackson in that time. I read an ESPN magazine story about Stephen Jackson that portrayed him as very sympathetic. I've also read some other info about him in various places. His teammates and coaches speak very highly of him. He has done a lot of charity work. It sounds like he is involved in a Bible study and probably church. He continues to do good things for his hometown, Port Arthur, TX (near Houston).

There is no question that Stephen Jackson has done some regrettable, ill-advised things. It seems that he sometimes lets his emotions get the better of him. On the other hand, he comes across as fiercely loyal to friends and teammates and will stand up for them whatever the cost to himself. In a weird way, I kind of identify with him. Like most of us, his life seems to be a mixture of good and bad as he seeks to become a better person in the midst of numerous temptation, both inward and outward. Add to all of that the religious element and the fact that he is a very good basketball player, and you have someone with whom I would probably enjoy sharing a meal (He worked in a relative's soul food restaurant as a kid. I could eat me some soul food.)

I decided to write this update because I felt like I had spoken unfairly about another bearer of the image of God. There's always more to the story that we see. That doesn't mean that we don't make judgments based on what we know. It does me that we recognize that our judgments should always be provisional. We (almost) never have the whole picture before us. That being said, maybe my original post could simply be taken as a tongue-in-cheek comment on a strange situation.

"Do unto others ..."