Those of you who watch basketball will have noticed that Allen Iverson wears a white sleeve over one of his arms. I assumed that it was some sort of brace or pad because of an injury. Last night I was told that he is requested (required?) to wear it because he has a tattoo that is considered to be very offensive.
I found this in a USA Today article about the different kinds of tattoos NBA players have. However, it’s from about two years ago, so things could’ve changed since then.
Iverson wears the sleeve to provide additional protection for his elbow. (At least that’s why he started wearing it – it could be a good luck thing now.) He actually took the sleeve off during one of the games against the Bucks (Game 4 or 5, I think) when he was having a bad shooting night.
His arm wrap could possibly be protecting new tattoos from getting damaged during play, although he has been wearing the wrap for quite some time. I suspect it is a fashion statement and not to protect his elbow, as the white one he wears is evidently just lycra and is unpadded.