INDIANAPOLIS -- Larry Bird likes the mural, just not the tattoos.

A lawyer for the former NBA star has asked an artist to remove certain tattoos from a large painting of Bird on an Indianapolis multifamily residence. The tattoos include two rabbits mating on his right arm, a cardinal on his cheek and a spiderweb on a shoulder.

Artist Jules Muck painted Bird in a blue basketball uniform. It's a replica of a 1977 Sports Illustrated cover when he played for Indiana State.

Attorney Gary Sallee says Bird "needs to protect" his brand and "doesn't want to be seen as a tattooed guy."

Sallee told the Indianapolis Star that he expects a compromise in which all the tattoos will be removed except one of the word "Indiana" on his left arm.

Muck said she adds things like tattoos to her art to avoid creating a complete copy of a photo and is trying to reach an agreement with Bird's representatives.

"They said the tattoos are the problem," she told the Star. "I can't just do an exact replica of a photograph. Plus, I don't want to. We'll see. It's going to be a matter of how much we have to do to change it."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.