DeMar DeRozan is honoring Malcolm X with some brand new ink ... tattooing an iconic image of his hero on his left bicep.
We're told the San Antonio Spurs star wanted the piece done before the NBA season kicked off ... so he hit up Canadian artist Steve Wiebe -- who has worked with a ton of NBA stars like Kevin Durant and John Wall.
Wiebe was in L.A. tattooing some other hoopers ... so he linked up with DeRozan at his house.
DeMar picked a very well known image -- taken for Ebony magazine at Malcolm X's Queens home in 1964 -- where the icon is holding a rifle.
Wiebe tells us the whole piece took about 5 hours to complete.
The 31-year-old guard -- a free agent after this season -- had an eventful (to say the least!) off-season. DD's house was broken into ... and the hooper was forced to confront the intruder.
But, the tattoo ... looks awesome!!