Is this the greatest tattoo ever?

The real Kobe Bryant in action for the Los Angeles Lakers. Source: News Limited

NOW here's a tattoo worthy of the Archibald Prize.

South Korean tattoo artist Dongkyu Lee's portrait of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant is so incredibly realistic that it's hard to believe it's been inked on someone's leg.

The lucky recipient is a tattoo artist himself, Steve Butcher, who operates out of New Zealand.

The incredible Kobe Bryant tattoo. Source: Instagram

The tattoo as a work in progress. Source: Instagram

Lee has only been tattooing for two years, but his collection of works is already mind-blowing.

"I used to be a musician but I soon realised I had no talent, so I joined the army for two years," Lee says.

"My job was to plan war strategies. One day, a lower ranking soldier went away and came back with a tattoo. I had never really seen such a good tattoo before. It looked so cool and I became very interested in the artform."

Tattoos are illegal in Korea, so Lee packed up and left for Canada.

Lee's favourite piece is this portrait of boxer Roy Jones Jr. Source: Instagram

Now he's an award winner and says his favourite piece so far was a tattoo of boxer Roy Jones Jr (pictured above).

"That piece has a lot of meaning," Lee says. "It's tattooed on my boss at Forever Young Ink.

"I won two awards with it. Roy Jones Jr reposted it on Instagram. And I feel like the piece was very vivid.

"I can see his expressions and the breath he was taking in the photo. It was a challenging piece that also paid off for me."