AMD 5 - Taylor Gray

For AMD 5, I decided to look into the world of sports and see which famous athletes have some German roots. I looked into a variety of sports and came up with a pretty lengthy list of German athletes that are popular in America. The list includes: MLB athletes Jacoby Elsbury, David Freese, Lous Gerig and Curt Schilling; NFL athletes Ben Roethlisburger, Brian Urlacher, Jim Schwartz and Bob Griese; and finally NBA athletes Dirk Nowitzki, Kirk Hinrich, and Chris Kaman. Out of all of these athletes, Dirk Nowitzki is probably the most popular right now. Dirk is a 7-foot power forward playing for the Dallas Mavericks. His unique ability of having the athletic ability of a point guard, the shooting ability of a shooting guard, and the size of a center makes him a dynamic player in the NBA. Dirk is currently in his 11th season in the NBA but has not forgotten his German roots. He has played on the German National Basketball team and led them to a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and a silver medal in the 2005 EuroBasket. He was voted MVP in both endeavors and continues to inspire many athletes of all descents.