110 Kobe Bryant Tattoo Ideas to Bring Out Your Inner Mamba

From Black Mamba concepts to memorial tributes, there are so many Kobe Bryant tattoo designs for you to choose from!

Growing up in a basketball crazy family, Kobe Bryant was a frequent topic of discussion in our household. With his aggressive style and legendary shooting average, we respected him even as he played a role in trumping our team! So, giving a client a Kobe Bryant tattoo gives me the opportunity to reminisce about some truly amazing basketball moments.

In this post, I will share the top Kobe Bryant tattoo ideas and let you know why they may be just right for you!

The Best Kobe Bryant Tattoo Designs

Here are the top Kobe Bryant tattoos that you can choose from:

Black Mamba Tattoos

Kobe Bean Bryant was arguably one of the most dominant players in the game. It is what made him a basketball superstar. It is why you want to get a Kobe Bryant tattoo!

There are so many reasons that Kobe Bryant will go down in NBA history. Not only is he one of two players to score more than 80 points in a single game, he is a five time NBA champion.

While Kobe Bryant had raw talent, he contributed much of his greatness to his mamba mentality. He would later go on to create a Mamba Sports Academy as well.

It is a term that he adopted after watching a Quentin Tarantino movie Kill Bill. One of the characters was named after the deadly black mamba snake.

As Kobe Bryant himself explained it, he took inspiration from the size, bite, speed, and temperament of the black mamba snake. This influenced his own athletic behavior on the court and is a great meaning for this Kobe Bryant tattoo.

Interestingly enough, Kobe Bryant also used this mentality as a way to separate his personal and professional life. The snake for this Kobe Bryant tattoo was his on-court personality, the one who would do whatever it took to win.

Now, Kobe Bryant inspired a lot of people with this mentality - other athletes and everyday folk. If you liked his mindset and apply it to your own life, then this is definitely a Kobe Bryant tattoo that you are going to want to consider for yourself.

Here are some of the Kobe Bryant tattoo designs that you should check out based on this concept:

No. 8 Tattoos

Kobe Bryant started out his basketball career with the LA Lakers wearing the jersey number 8. This was a throwback to his Adidas camp number. It was also his jersey number when he was much younger.

The number 8 jersey wasn't his first choice but the other numbers that he was considering at the time were either taken by other players or retired.

This doesn't mean that the 8 jersey number isn't meaningful, however! In fact, it is one of the reasons that you want to get a Kobe Bryant tattoo.

It was while Kobe Bryant was wearing this jersey that he made a name for himself.

If you want to commemorate this time of his career, then here are the Kobe Bryant basketball tattoo designs you should be considering for yourself.

No. 24 Tattoos

If the number 8 isn't quite doing it for you for a Kobe Bryant tattoo, then you may be considering the no 24.

After many years, Kobe changed his jersey number to 24. This was the number that he wore in high school.

One of the reasons that Kobe Bryant wanted to change his number was because he felt that he had evolved as a player and a person. His mindset was different and so was his plans for his future.

If you were more interested in this player, then 24 is the Kobe Bryant tattoo that you should get.

Here are just some of the Kobe Bryant tattoo designs that you can get:

Kobe Bryant Portrait Tattoos

A great Kobe Bryant tattoo idea is to get his portrait inked on your body. Of course, keep in mind that this is a rather complex Kobe Bryant tattoo so it is best to go to an experienced tattoo artist for this kind of ink.

The good news if you do want to get such a Kobe Bryant tattoo is that you have plenty of options to choose from. Kobe Bryant's likeness was captured quite a bit during his lifetime.

From personal to professional images, there are lots of ideas that you can choose from for your Kobe Bryant tattoo.

If you want a more meaningful Kobe Bryant tattoo, then you may want to consider using an image from an important day - for instance, when Kobe Bryant won the championship. Or, when Kobe Bryant played his highest scoring game.

In case you want a truly realistic Kobe Bryant tattoo, you should consider getting Kobe's tattoos. These consist of a butterfly crown on his right arm.

Of course, this does depend on the size of your Kobe Bryant tattoo - this idea may only really work with a larger image.

Kobe Bryant Game Tattoos

If you love Kobe Bryant, the athlete, then you are going to want a Kobe Bryant tattoo of what he did best - playing basketball.

There are lots of ways to make this kind of Kobe Bryant tattoo work. For instance, if you want, you can get a Kobe Bryant tattoo just with him in his uniform.

A great Kobe Bryant tattoo idea involves him biting on his jersey. This was a classic move that he unconsciously did when he was playing a game.

If you want to take your Kobe Bryant tattoo to the next level, then you may want to get a design with Kobe Bryant on the court, bright lights behind him.

Your Kobe Bryant tattoo could also consist of him in the middle of playing a game - there are lots of different options for such a Kobe tattoo.

Kobe Bryant Memorial Tattoos

The whole world mourned when Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in 2020.

In response to this tragedy, many fans got a tribute tattoo of Kobe Bryant.

There are lots of different ways that you can go with such a Kobe Bryant tattoo. For instance, you can get an image of Kobe in heaven or Kobe surrounded by angel wings.

In general, adding any kind of heavenly or celestial element to this kind of tattoo concept will give you the kind of Kobe Bryant tribute design that you are looking for.

Now, you don't have to be quite so direct with your Kobe Bryant tattoo ideas. You can also get a tribute tattoo that only involves his jersey numbers or other identifying elements of him.

The great thing about this kind of Kobe Bryant tattoo is that it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.

Here are some of the Kobe Bryant tattoo designs to inspire your own:

Well, there you have it - all the Kobe Bryant tattoo designs you could possibly need! From simple and classic to complex and nostalgic, you can find all the designs that you need to get the Kobe Bryant tattoo that you want!