Sometimes, pop culture and baseball find a way to perfectly intersect. In this case, rapper Action Bronson not only made it official, but he made it permanent by getting an interesting Barry Bonds tattoo to profess his affinity for the legendary slugger.
It’s a unique tribute to Bonds’ record-breaking 2001 season. Check it out below.
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The Ultimate Fan Tribute: Bronson’s Barry Bonds Tattoo
As spotted in a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) by user @BurdenBurner, Bronson’s Bonds tattoo features the jaw-dropping stats from his National League MVP performance in ’01: .328 batting average, 73 home runs, and 137 RBI.
The simple, typewriter-style font gives it an almost official scorebook feel—like something straight out of Cooperstown’s record books permanently etched onto the rapper’s body.
Action Bronson has Barry Bonds 2001 stats tatted on his arm… that is fucking amazing pic.twitter.com/cjnKSnnmn5
— joe (@BurdenBurner) April 28, 2025
What makes this ink so fascinating isn’t just that it exists, but that Bronson chose these specific numbers. We’re not talking about a stylized portrait or a Giants logo—this is pure statistical appreciation in tattoo form.
It’s the kind of conversation starter that shows how passionate Bronson is about Bonds as a player. The Queens-born rapper has actually been outspoken about his baseball fandom throughout his career, but this tattoo takes his devotion to an entirely different level.
Bonds’ 2001 Season: The Greatest Power Display in MLB History
Now, let’s talk about those numbers immortalized in ink—because they represent arguably the most dominant offensive season any player has ever produced. Bonds’ 2001 campaign wasn’t just exceptional; it was otherworldly.
The headline number, of course, is 73—the single-season home run record that still stands today. Bonds not only passed Mark McGwire’s previous record of 70, which was set just three years prior, but he surpassed the 50-homer mark for the first (and only) time in his career.
What made this even more remarkable was Bonds’ efficiency. The 73 taters are amazing all by itself, but when you add in a .328 average, .515 on-base percentage, and .863 slugging percentage, it goes to another level. He was also walked an astonishing 177 times (including 35 intentional passes). Nobody wanted to pitch to him, but when someone felt brave enough to do so, Bonds typically took advantage.
The Controversial Legacy of Baseball’s Home Run King
Bonds finished his career with 762 home runs, surpassing Hank Aaron’s long-standing record of 755. His seven MVP awards remain unmatched, and his 2,558 career walks (including a mind-boggling 688 intentional walks) demonstrate how feared he was by opposing pitchers and managers.
But Bonds’ legacy remains complicated. These types of statistics would make anyone a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he’s been denied from being enshrined in Cooperstown because of his performance-enhancing drug usage. His final year of eligibility on the writers’ ballot came and went in 2022 never earning more than 66.0% of the vote. Now, his fate is left to future veterans committees.
I’ve always found the exclusion of Bonds from the Hall of Fame problematic. The “Steroid Era” was a period when PED use was widespread throughout baseball and not being properly regulated, yet Bonds has shouldered a disproportionate amount of the stigma (along with some others). Even if you account for the PED usage, his natural talent and baseball IQ were exceptional — just look at what he did in his career before 2000.
Beyond the Numbers: Bonds’ Offensive Dominance
What often gets lost in the PED discussion is just how technically brilliant Bonds was as a hitter. His lightning-quick wrists, perfect balance, and unmatched eye at the dish made him lethal even before his late-career power surge. In his earlier years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was a five-tool player who could beat you with speed, defense, and a consistent bat.
By the time he reached San Francisco, Bonds had evolved into perhaps the most intimidating presence ever to step into a batter’s box. His 2001-04 stretch produced some of the most absurd offensive statistics in baseball history, including a .609 on-base percentage in 2004.
Whether you’re a stat junkie, a hip-hop fan, or just someone who appreciates the cultural impact of baseball’s most controversial slugger, Action Bronson’s tattoo is a fascinating tribute to a season that, regardless of the circumstances, changed baseball’s record books forever.
What do you think? Is Bonds Hall-worthy? And would you ever get your favorite player’s stats tattooed on your body? Let me know in the comments.
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