With the Miami Heat and their fans basking in the glory of another championship season, the NBA put up a trove of NBA Finals memorabilia for sale on its website Thursday night. Eager to cash in on fans' craving for championship swag, the league included one item that might have slipped past quality control.
For the price of $29.95, Heat fans can purchase a Chris "Birdman" Andersen bobblehead that features the popular Heat center holding the Larry O'Brien trophy. The bobblehead has only one problem: none of Andersen's tattoos made it onto the figurine.
This is all the more surprising since Andersen has not been ink-free since his early days in the NBA over a decade ago. From his neck to his arms to his fingers, there are few patches of skin on the Birdman's body that are not covered in bright ink.
"Some points in my life, I came across a barrier where I’d been been," Andersen told Fox Sports about his tattoos earlier this month. "So every tattoo has a meaning. I didn’t just go get a koi fish or something like that."
The bobblehead does sport Andersen wearing a mo-hawk, but it is more of a faux-hawk than the more traditional mo-hawk Andersen has worn this season. Andersen's bobblehead is not the only one missing some ink. The LeBron James bobblehead is also tattoo-free, even though his arms are also nearly entirely covered.
Andersen joined the Heat in January as a mid-season pick-up from the bargain bin, but quickly established himself as a major contributor off the bench. He appeared in 5 games against the Spurs in the NBA Finals, scoring 22 points with 15 rebounds in 71 Finals minutes.
Andersen's colorful personality (he often refers to himself as "the Birdman"), energetic style of play, and signature look have made him a favorite in Miami. Heat fans at the AmericanAirlines Arena would make arm-flapping motions after Andersen scored this season, and Birdman met an infant doppelganger during the Heat's playoff run.
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So while Andersen's bobblehead is far from anatomically correct, it could make a great art project for any would-be tattoo artists to try their hands on.
