NBA: Larry Bird Not Fan Of Tattoos, Wants Mural Changed

Larry Bird is an NBA legend and he does have an image to keep. Most find ways to honor the Boston Celtic great and the most recent one is a mural of him wearing a 1977 Sports Illustrated cover when he played for Indiana State. It was almost a perfect render until the three-time NBA champion saw something he did not like - tattoos.

In a report from the Associated Press, the 62-year-old NBA legend has reportedly asked an artist to change the mural. He wants the tattoos removed since he does not want to be remembered as a tattooed guy. The tattoos include two rabbits mating on his right arm and a spider web on a shoulder.

It was an artist named Jules Muck who did the large painting of Bird at an Indianapolis multi-family residence. According to Bird's lawyer, Gary Sallee, the three-time NBA MVP needs to protect his brand. But Muck explained the rationale behind the tattoos, explaining that she adds things like those to avoid creating a complete copy of the photo - likely to avoid infringement issues, Boston.com reported. She is currently trying to reach an agreement with Bird's camp.

“Larry's position is he has elevated himself from where he began to where he is now through a lot of hard work. He has developed a brand that is marketable and he needs to protect that brand,” Bird’s attorney said in a report by the Indianapolis Star.

The good news is that Bird did not ask for the mural to be taken down entirely. Rather, he just wants the tattoos out and all will be ok. But should that be the case, the copyright issues could come into play. Sports illustrated could enter the picture and take legal action against the graffiti and street artist.

"There have been times when I’ve done exact duplicates of photographs where I reached out to photographers and they’re cool with it. Usually, it’s just a photographer I have to ask because it’s using a replica of their image," said Muck.

Muck is still contemplating on how to make the necessary changes. All that will depend on her talks with Bird's team. It may all depend on how much needs to be changed on the NBA legend's mural.