Dirk Nowitzki is one of the greatest big men to ever play in the NBA and is the best player in Dallas Mavericks history. The German played all 21 seasons for the Mavs, proving his loyalty to the franchise. Along the way, he won an NBA title in 2011, made 14 All-Star teams, and was named the MVP in 2007. By his side for a good part of his career was a special woman. In this post, we're taking a look at Dirk Nowitzki's wife, Jessica Olsson.

Dirk Nowitzki's Wife: Jessica Olsson

Jessica Olsson, Dirk Nowitzki

Like Dirk, Jessica Olsson has European roots. She was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and a Kenyan father. She comes from an athletic family, with her twin brothers both playing professional football at various levels in Sweden.

Olsson grew up there and eventually met Dirk in 2010 at the Sports for Education Economic Development in Dallas, which is a Senegal-based organization that uses basketball as a platform to educate the youth in various areas. They quickly hit it off and started dating. Just two years later in 2012, Nowitzki and Olsson tied the knot. But, the couple had two separate weddings. One at Dirk's home in Germany and then also a traditional Kenyan wedding where Dirk was asked to identify his wife from five veiled women, a cultural gesture to show his love.

Nowitzki spoke on the unique ceremony a few years back where they traveled all the way to Nanyuki, Kenya. Via the Undefeated:

“It was awesome,” Nowitzki said. “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.”

At the time when Nowitzki met Olsson, she was working at a Dallas art gallery. They first made their public appearance at the 2011 ESPY Awards, but the reaction to Dirk's interracial relationship got mixed reviews after he kissed her on stage. From that point on, they've been inseparable.

Not long after the two exchanged vows, they had their first child in July of 2013 and named her Malaika. Two years later, Olsson gave birth to their second kid, a son named Max. Finally, in 2016, Morris Nowitzki was born. Now, Olsson and Nowitzki have a full-fledged family. In fact, Olsson was basically a stay-at-home mom when they were all first born as Nowitzki was still playing in the NBA. But, the difference in ages helped her juggle everything. Via DFW Child:

The kids were staggered [in ages] to a point where I was always home nursing, or home with someone who wasn’t in school. To me, it was kind of nice, because I hibernated and really found my way as a mother.

In the Nowitzki household, they actually speak a total of three languages. English, Swedish, and German. Olsson speaks mostly Swedish with the kids, but all three of them went through a German International School in Dallas. Needless to say, Dirk and Olsson are making sure their children are very cultured in every way possible.

Olsson eventually ditched her art gallery job and is now the President of the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation in Dallas. The purpose of the organization is to help underprivileged children and families. They even have a program with the Dallas Tennis Association. The couple is very active within the city and is always doing something to help the people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Nowitzki is basically a living legend there anyway and he'll be even more loved by helping the less fortunate. He's also frequently seen at Mavs games and has shared many special moments with superstar Luka Doncic, who is shaping up to be the next greatest Mavericks player.

Dirk Nowitzki and Jessica Olsson have now been together almost 11 years since they first met on that special night in February of 2010. Their interests, particularly in sports, helped them bond from day one, and the couple is now giving back through the foundation and bringing up their three beautiful children in the process while living in Dallas where Dirk became a living legend with the Mavs.

There it is. That's all you need to know about Dirk Nowitzki's wife, Jessica Olsson.