A garment sleeve with knuckle protector and thumb aperture. A shield having knuckle thimbles attached to a shield base, is attached either to a sleeve inner surface or a sleeve outer surface. If the former, the sleeve incorporates sleeve thimble apertures through which the knuckle thimbles extend. Indicia may be inscribed on the knuckle thimbles for aesthetic reasons. Each knuckle thimble may incorporate a thimble void sized to admit a human knuckle on a side of the shield base opposite a thimble dome. A thumb aperture is located through the sleeve such that when the thumb of a wearer of the sleeve extends through the thumb aperture, the wearer's knuckles are disposed beneath, and protected by, the knuckle thimbles.