So you've seen'em too, huh? The tattoos. All over his arms. Maybe you haven't seen them close enough to see what they're all about. Maybe you wonder why the hell Allen decided to add the tattoos that he has added to his arm...Truth is, there's a deeper meaning behind every one of them. Every tattoo represents something Allen believes in, something he has experienced, something he cares about or something he wants to tell the world. From the hidden tattoos on his chest, to the many tattoos on his arm, Allen has all together near 20 tattoos. He had one coming out of Georgetown, added seven his third year and the rest of them he has added this year. 

1) "ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE" 
This one is self-explanatory. If you know about Iverson's childhood and how he grew up, you will understand why he has this tattoo..it features a cross of two daggers knitted together, with the writing "only the strong" above the cross and "survive" on the middle of it. 
2) "THE ANSWER"
This one was the first tattoo Allen got. He got it while playing at Georgetown. The Bulldog represents Georgetown, while the writing "The Answer" above the bulldog is pretty self-explanatory..(for those not aware:The Answer is Allen's nickname).

3) "CRU THIK"&"DYNASTY RAIDER"
"Cru Thik" is the name of Iverson's record company. Dynasty Raider is what Allen and his friends called themselves growing up.
 

4) "FEAR NO ONE" 
Iverson got this tattoo recently, as he didn't mention it in his interview with FOOTACTION Star magazine. It is on the left forearm..."Fear No One" is corresponding with Allen's attitude.

5) HOLD MY OWN
Self-explanatory. Iverson is true to himself, always true to what HE feels, wants and is. He holds his own. You gotta be a strong person to 100% hold your own. And Iverson is strong. 
 
 

6) SOLDIER'S HEAD
Iverson says about this tattoo of a soldier's head: "I feel throughout my life it has been a battle, and I have survived many obstacles like a real soldier. The first time I saw Allen with this tattoo, I was like: "what the....", but I understand why Allen wanted to add this tattoo to his "collection"...his life HAS been a battle, and he HAS survived. Like a real soldier. Underneath the pic of the Soldier's head, it says: "SOLDIER" 
 
 

7) "LOYALTY"
This one, according to my sources across the planet, means LOYALTY, which is one of the most important issues for Allen Iverson. He thinks that being loyal to your roots is very, very important, and that's the reason why he decided to add this tattoo to his collection. 
 
 

8) CRU THIK
After receiving tons of e-mail saying that "it's not chinese writing, it's actually 3-d letters saying "Cru Thik", I have finally updated the info on this tattoo. Truth is, the letters, starting on Iverson's bicpeps close to his shoulder heading down to his forearm cleary say "CRU THIK" written in shadows, which confused me early on. Look closely at this pic and you'll see that it says Cru Thik, which is the name of Allen's record company. 
 
 

9) GRIM REAPER WITH BASKETBALL/PANTHER
There's something spooky about this: Allen USED to have a tattoo of a grim reaper (pic below)on his right forearm. Allen previously said about this tattoo: "I have this tattoo, because I think this is the way my opponents see me on the basketball court." But now, it's quite obvious that it's no longer the grim-reaper but a panther. Seems like Allen has had this one redone in some way, since it's a lot larger, more dominating and black now. Know more about this one? mail me! Latest rumor: Allen has it because some of his family members have been Black Panthers. This is not confirmed and very suggestive.
 

10) STRENGTH
It appears to be some "sanskrit" (old asian/indian) language inscription, and according to sources who have e-mailed me, this tattoo means "Strength". I've also heard that it means looking up. Something like being optimistic i suppose. Or it could, apparently, Facing your fears, i guess that's a better explanation. 

11) "VA's FINEST"
This one says "VA's FINEST" and is tattooed on Allen's right forearm. Explaination: VA (Virginia) is where Allen grew up, and he considers himself among VA's finest.
 

12) "TIUARA & DEUCE" (HIDDEN)
Featured on Allen's left chest, this tattoo shows nothing but the names of his children, namely his daughter Tiaura (4) and his son Allen Iverson II og "Deuce". 

13) "PRAYING HANDS" (HIDDEN)
In Allen's newest Reebok-ad, I discovered yet another tattoo on his chest. It appears as if this tattoo features two praying hands + Allen's mom (Ann)'s name and his grandmother's name. 

14) "JEWELZ"
It has been confirmed now that Allen's rap artist name is "Jewelz", and that explains this brand new tattoo which starts around Allen's elbow and is written with letters upside-down from his elbow and up to his wrist on on the side of his right forearm. Don't be fooled by the letters, the letter closest to Allen's hand is the last "Z" in "Jewelz". The "J" is down by his elbow. 

15) "N B N" 
I cannot assure you whether it's relevant or not, but I've been told that this tattoo either means 1) Naughty By Nature 2) National Basketball Nigga or 3) Nothing But Net or the most recent suggestion, 4)Newport Bad News, which is Iverson's own description of his hometown.

16), 17) (Just Rumors)
I've heard rumors about Allen having different tattoos on his left chest. Apparently, one of them has a portrait of his grandmother, who died when Allen was young. According to Philly newspapers, Allen also has tattooed his mother's name right above his heart (Ethel Ann Iverson) to show everyone how much he loves his mom. 

- new ones

wn, Newport News in Hampton, VA. Nothing is for sure yet, these are just suggestions I've received through e-mail.

18) "BAD" 
This one is quite new, I discovered it when picking up my copy of "The Source Sports" this month, with Allen on the cover. It says "BAD" and has a charachter in the middle that I can't understand, but that apparently means "belief", it can or "respect" depending on the situations. Underneath it that says "NEWZ", making the text say "BAD NEWZ", which again is Iverson's description of his hometown, Newport News. Thanks to Xiaoyi Niu for supplying information. 
 

19) "CT" 
Brand new for the playoffs last season. It's CT, short for (again) Cru Thik, which is Allen's crew and record company. 
 
 
 

20) "EAST END" 
Allen got this tattoo to show where his from - the East End of Newport News. This tattoo is written in the same writing as the Cru Thik tattoo to the right.