Dirk opening up on his marriage

daywalker02 · Jan 16, 2017

The color of love

The five Kenyan women were covered from head to toe as they stood in front of an African garb-wearing Dirk Nowitzki.

One was the love of the Dallas Mavericks forward’s life and the reason they were in Nanyuki, Kenya. The others were decoys who if incorrectly chosen could cost the 13-time NBA All-Star a goat as punishment. The 7-foot German nailed tough shots in the NBA Finals and the Olympics, and on this occasion he did the same, correctly picking his bride Jessica Olsson.

“It was awesome,” Nowitzki told The Undefeated. “They took my wife away. They brought five or six girls out and they were all covered. So the first thing I had to do was find my wife. So I’m walking around and looking at how tall they are.

“I guess it’s one of the traditions. If you get it wrong, you got to pay the parents a goat or something. So I was lucky. I smelled her to find the right one. So, I got lucky there. But that was just an experience that I’ll never forget.”

Nowitzki is a worldwide known basketball name. He is the Mavs’ all-time leading scorer, the 2011 NBA Finals MVP, the 2007 NBA MVP and a two-time FIBA Europe Player of the Year. Basketball also introduced him to his wife.

The two met at a charity event for the Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEED) Project on a snowy night in February 2010. It was NBA All-Star weekend in Dallas. The Senegal-based nonprofit used basketball as a platform to engage youths in academic, athletic and leadership programs.

Nowitzki was tricked into raising his hand during an auction that resulted in him making a major donation in exchange for a Rolando Diaz painting. He also agreed to go on two dates for charity. But he was also hoping to get a real date with a beautiful woman he met that night named Jessica Olsson, who was working at a Dallas art gallery.

Jessica Nowitzki is the daughter of a Kenyan mother and Swedish father. Her mother is from Nanyuki, Kenya, a market town located northwest of Mount Kenya that was founded by British settlers and is the home of the Kenya Air Force. Jessica was raised in Sweden with her younger twin brothers, Marcus and Martin, who are both who are both professional soccer players in England who also have played for the Swedish National Team.

Nowitzki hailed from Würzburg, Germany, a town of about 125,000 people that didn’t include many black or African residents. The racial differences never mattered to Nowitzki, as he quickly became smitten with “Jess” after they met.
“What made her so special? What made me fall in love with her? First of all, she’s got to be attractive. That’s obviously part of it,” Nowitzki said with a big smile. “And I think we just clicked intellectually. She likes art, she likes sports. Her brothers both played soccer, they were professional.

“She grew up around sports. We both love tennis and we love to travel. We both love kids and family.”

Although race wasn’t a big deal to Nowitzki and Olsson, it became a topic when their relationship became public.

Nowitzki and Olsson made their first big public appearance on July 13, 2011, when they were on the red carpet at The ESPYS awards together. They received a lot of comments on Twitter when he kissed her after winning an award during the televised show. The Twitter chatter was not necessarily negative, but it was race-related.
Then-Philadelphia 76ers guard Evan Turner tweeted: “Well I’ll be damned. Dirk got him a sister.”

The Sacramento Kings rookie center Hassan Whiteside tweeted: “Dirk got himself a black girl hahaha.”

Then-Washington Wizards guard Jordan Crawford tweeted: “He got ablack squeeze!”

WNBA star Candace Parker used the line “jungle fever” on Twitter and wrote “love it” after they smooched.

AtlantaBlackStar.com wrote, “Jessica quickly became a hot topic on Twitter for several reasons including shock and praise that she was on the arm of Dirk Nowitzki.” ThePostGame.com had a story with the headline: “Dirk Nowitzki’s Kiss Heard Round Twitter.”

“Honestly, this is the first I am seeing a lot of these tweets,” said Nowitzki, when shown the list of tweets that night at the 2011 ESPYS. “That was a crazy time for me with the championship and The ESPYS and I’m glad I got to spend it with Jessica.”

Nowitzki said he has never heard any racial comments in regards to him and his wife.

“Nobody actually approached me with it,” Nowitzki said. “Everybody that’s met my wife has said she’s great with me. So I haven’t heard any of that to my face. I’m sure there’s some people that think of it to themselves. But, I’ve never heard it to my face.”

So how did Nowitzki refrain from color ever being an issue to him?

“Growing up in Germany, and basketball,” he said. “We’ve always grown up around all sorts of races. I played with the national team where half of my teammates were from Yugoslavia. Color or race for me never really mattered, and that’s also the beauty of sports.

“You’re a team. Same with marriage. You’re a team, and pulling on the same string. You try to make it work and chemistry has got to be there. That is just the way I was raised.”

Nowitzki and Olsson were married in July 2012 with traditional wedding ceremonies in Germany and Kenya. In Kenya, they had a Kikuyu wedding where the community learns that the daughter is engaged and relatives from both sides get to intermingle before it concludes with a “ruracio” (dowry payment) discussion. The bride wore a traditional Kikuyu garment while the groom was in a dark brown traditional outfit with orange hues.
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https://theundefeated.com/features/...owitzki-opens-up-on-his-interracial-marriage/

fba34 · Jan 16, 2017

Once you go digler...

PhiSlammaJamma · Jan 16, 2017

When in Vegas, and looking at the big board for a marathon, I know one thing, bet on the Kenyan.

tinman · Jan 16, 2017

Way better than Khloe

Exiled · Jan 16, 2017

I can vision his son playing for GSW

tochiee22 · Jan 16, 2017

Who cares

DaDakota · Jan 16, 2017

Now Dirk has some excellent taste. She is gorgeous.

DD

sugrlndkid · Jan 16, 2017

nice...very nice...

daywalker02 · Jan 16, 2017

DaDakota said: ↑

Now Dirk has some excellent taste. She is gorgeous.

DD
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This was his ex who went to prison for forgery and theft.

DreamShook · Jan 16, 2017

daywalker02 said: ↑

This was his ex who went to prison for forgery and theft.

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Never forget.

hvic · Jan 16, 2017

DreamShook said: ↑

Never forget.
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she looks linda like a man. Dirks ex

Aleron · Jan 16, 2017

"even had an encounter with a helpless goat."

lionaire · Jan 16, 2017

Dirk has always been a real 1

Os Trigonum · Jan 16, 2017

DreamShook said: ↑

Never forget.
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we need an official Dirk Nowitski's crazy-ex appreciation thread

Pen15clubber · Jan 16, 2017

Wait!? Dirk likes girls!?

pmac · Jan 16, 2017

While, I agree that Dirk's wife is hot, I'm struggling to see the story. He dated and married a black woman. I wouldn't wish it on him, but without any big discrimination, I don't think an interracial marriage is all that noteworthy in 2017.

Liberon · Jan 16, 2017

You're the one with such a dipshiiit personality here. And I can't believe people go solely by skin color and forget facial bone structure etc. To me he didn't stray too far. His wife can definitely pass for a tanned/mixed German lady anyways.

pmac said: ↑

While, I agree that Dirk's wife is hot, I'm struggling to see the story. He dated and married a black woman. I wouldn't wish it on him, but without any big discrimination, I don't think an interracial marriage is all that noteworthy in 2017.
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pmac · Jan 16, 2017

Liberon said: ↑

You're the one with such a dipshiiit personality here. And I can't believe people go solely by skin color and forget facial bone structure etc. To me he didn't stray too far. His wife can definitely pass for a tanned/mixed German lady anyways.
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I have no idea what you're talking about here.

KlutchQT · Jan 16, 2017

Liberon said: ↑

You're the one with such a dipshiiit personality here. And I can't believe people go solely by skin color and forget facial bone structure etc. To me he didn't stray too far. His wife can definitely pass for a tanned/mixed German lady anyways.
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I think you misunderstood that poster, because I don't see where he said anything offensive. You, on the other hand, are suggesting his wife was an acceptable choice because her features are more European than African, which IS offensive.

CometsWin · Jan 16, 2017

I thought Dirk was the guy who had a hall pass every year from his wife.

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