There will always be an end to a player’s career with a franchise, and this time, it was New Mexico. Losing a star player is never easy, and New Mexico just felt that sting. Their leading scorer, Donovan Dent, is headed to UCLA, leaving a major hole in the Lobos’ roster. Dent, who averaged an impressive 20.4 points per game this past season, also dished out 6.4 assists per contest—ranking among the best in the Mountain West. While it’s a tough blow for New Mexico, the Bruins are celebrating a massive win.
Amid all the transfer madness, another UCLA star is turning heads. But not for the reasons you think. Skyy Clark, a standout guard for the Bruins, just paid tribute to one of basketball’s all-time greats, Allen Iverson, in a way that will stay with him forever. What exactly did he do?
The 21-year-old junior got the same tattoo Iverson had—“Only The Strong Survive”—inked on the same shoulder. The tribute speaks volumes about Clark’s admiration for AI, a player known for his relentless toughness. This season, Clark has been making his mark on the court, averaging 8.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting an efficient 45.8% from the field. Now, with Dent joining the squad, UCLA fans have plenty to be excited about.
Interestingly, Clark isn’t the first player to honor Iverson with ink. Back in 2001, NBA veteran Tyson Chandler got the exact same tattoo, a cross with the words “Only The Strong Survive” surrounding it. However, in 2014, Chandler decided to make a change—striking through the words with a single line, making them still readable but symbolically altered.
“You know, this isn’t a thing I believe anymore. I’m older. I have a different definition of strength. I think very differently about what these things mean, and I don’t know that I want to walk around with this on my arm anymore, but I also want to make clear that this was a thing that was important to me and now I’ve changed,” Chandler once shared.
But why does this Iverson tattoo hold so much meaning?
The meaning behind Allen Iverson’s iconic tattoo
Allen Iverson’s journey to basketball greatness wasn’t just about talent—it was about survival. Growing up in tough circumstances, he used his body as a canvas to tell his story, and no tattoo spoke louder than the one on his left shoulder: “Only The Strong Survive.” In an interview nearly a decade ago, Iverson explained the deep meaning behind it.
“It comes from my upbringing. All the things I had to endure in my life, all the obstacles that I was faced with; just trying to make it out, make a better way for my family,” he said. “If they’re a weak person, they break. They give up. That’s just not me.”
For Iverson, strength wasn’t just physical—it was about resilience, about refusing to give up no matter how hard life got. And life wasn’t easy. Born in Virginia to a 15-year-old mother, Iverson had to grow up fast. He was a star in both football and basketball, but a fight at a bowling alley landed him in a correctional facility for four months.
But through it all, his talent shined. Georgetown’s John Thompson saw that and gave him a shot with a full scholarship. That moment sparked another tribute—his first tattoo, a Georgetown Bulldog. From that one, he went on to get over 30 more, each one marking another chapter in his story of survival.
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