How Tyler Nickel's Left Arm Sleeve Tells His Story – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Tyler Nickel had just finished electrifying this place and knew that he’d be doing the moment he’d created injustice if he didn’t embrace it. As a result, Texas A&M inbounded the ball and Nickel pulled out one of his patented 3-point celebrations. 
The Vanderbilt wing extended his left–non shooting–arm and raised the right one in an effort to demonstrate his understanding of the moment that he was in the midst of. As he did, he unintentionally showed the entirety of the sleeve of tattoos on his left arm to everyone in attendance. 
None of them were easily visible to those in the stands at Memorial Gymnasium due to distance, but Nickel isn’t afraid to show them. 
“They all mean something,” Nickel told Vandy on SI, “But just in different ways.” 
Nickel has seven main tattoos that have turned his left arm from merely his non-shooting arm to a work of art in his mind. The most easily seen one as he celebrated his make from 3-point range on the way to Vanderbilt’s 82-69 win over Texas A&M was the "Anomaly" tattoo on the inside of his forearm. 
The tattoo was Nickel’s first and has been there since he was 16 years old. He says he always felt different than everyone else “whether it was the way I was, the way I talked, the way I moved; it was always different than everybody else.” Nickel says he relates heavily to the NBA Youngboy song Anomaly–which he says also played into his decision to get the tattoo. 
Nickel told Vandy on SI earlier this season that he knows people likely assume things about him because he’s different, but that he’s never going to apologize for being who he is. 
“He’s never wavered,” Vanderbilt big man Jalen Washington–who says Nickel is his “best friend”– told Vandy on SI in regard to Nickel’s willingness to show his personality. “That’s probably what I admire the most.” 
Nickel’s dad, Eric, told Vandy on SI earlier this season that when Nickel was a kid, he and his family “started to talk about being one-of-one.” They started talking about “being that guy.” Perhaps they knew to push that button early because of their own experiences. Both of Nickel’s parents played college basketball–and he’s commemorated their careers with tattoos of each of their high school jerseys on his left bicep. “Basketball has been in my blood,” he says.  
The other side of Nickel’s wrist–across from the anomaly tattoo is inscribed “VA” to denote that he’s a “Virginia kid.” The letters coincide with Nickel’s tattoo that features a crown with the No. 5 on it. Nickel says the tattoo indicates that he’s the “king of my city”–or the most successful from the city–on the surface, but has a deeper meaning to it. 
Nickel remembers a multitude of talented athletes coming from Harrisonburg, Virginia,–his hometown–and failing to realize their potential for one reason or another. The Vanderbilt wing remembers, in particular, “one of the most talented” athletes he’s ever seen passing away before he could fulfill his dreams. He says he thinks about that “a lot.” 
The Vanderbilt wing has been fortunate enough to avoid having his journey derailed by extenuating circumstances. Nickel was a highly-touted high school recruit that went to North Carolina before transferring to Virginia Tech and ultimately finding his college basketball home at Vanderbilt. 
He says he wants to be able to “give people hope” back home in regard to the idea that a career like he’s had can be repeatable. 
“It's everything,” Nickel said. “We don't really have a ton of success stories, especially not in sports or anything like that. 
So, just being somebody that kids in sports back home can look up to and say ‘he can do it, why can’t I do it.’ That means everything to me.” 
A tattoo closer to Nickel’s bicep indicates something about what it took to get here. The Vanderbilt wing has three crosses tattooed with the words Isaiah 54:17 which says “no weapon formed against you shall prosper.” It sits right above the three crosses. Both of which were among Nickel’s first tattoos.
Seemingly the most meaningful one relating to Nickel’s faith is his “Only Fear God” tattoo. Perhaps more than any other tattoo, that indicates Nickel’s mindset and what’s enabled him to develop what Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington calls an “unbreakable confidence” in his sharpshooter. 
The inscription indicates that Nickel’s confidence isn’t limited to what he can do on the floor, either. Nickel is as unique and confident a player as Vanderbilt has had in recent memory. He embraces that. 
“I won’t ever fear anything,” Nickel said. “I won’t ever be a victim.”  
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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