Almost every episode of Inside The NBA has something or the other to offer viewers, be it hot and controversial takes on what’s going on in the league or some hilarious interactions between the co-hosts of the show. With no Shaquille O’Neal in one of the recent episodes, Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki decided to step up, only to get backed into a corner over revealing his teenage crushes.
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Dirk Nowitzki made a surprise appearance on the Inside The NBA show, filling in for Shaquille O’Neal. As the show went on, Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith and the rest of the hosts backed Dirk into a corner and forced him to reveal his childhood crushes.
As Dirk was laughing and even blushing on national television, he was asked to reveal his favorite artists growing up and who he had a crush on growing up. The seven-footer did not back down and went on to reveal who he admired during his teenage days.
“Oh, crush? Foxy Brown and Lil Kim.”
Kenny got Dirk to double down on Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim being his childhood crushes 💀 pic.twitter.com/iO7zPmR4Bg
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 5, 2024
Foxy Brown and Lil Kim were two of the earlier female rappers to take the hip-hop industry by storm. But what is even more surprising is the fact that Dirk Nowitzki not only knew about these two female rappers but also had a crush on them growing up.
Having spent most of his childhood and teenage years in Germany, this wasn’t an answer expected out of someone who had spent most of his life overseas. But Nowitzki was adamant that those two female rappers had him mesmerized with their music and moreover, their looks.
His admiration for the two African American female rappers may have also played a role in who he went on to marry. For those of you who are unaware, Dirk Nowitzki married Jessica Olsson, who is of Swedish nationality but is a native of Kenya.
Dirk Nowtizki’s life after marriage and children
Back in 2017, Dirk Nowitzki opened up on his interracial marriage with Jessica Olsson. He talked about how race and color did not mean much to him as he grew up with a diverse crowd in Germany.
“Growing up in Germany, 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.”
In an interview with Graham Besinger, Dirk Nowitzki went on to talk about how kids changed and impacted his life.
“It’s a wonderful change. But all of a sudden, your life is all about the kids now. Your life, kind of, takes a little bit of a backseat. The most I feel is pride…It’s like, when they do little stuff, I feel more pride than I ever did for any of my accomplishments in my career.”
Basking in the role of a father, Dirk realized what had become more important in his life once he had children. And despite bringing the first-ever NBA championship to the Dallas Mavericks franchise, Nowtizki was more proud of his kids’ accomplishments.
