George W. Bush - Out of Many One: Portraits of Americas Immigrants

The people of Dallas took me in from the beginning and made me part of their community. Ill never forget that for my entire life.

I n his twenty-first and final NBA season, Dirk Nowitzki surpassed Wilt Chamberlain to become the sixth-ranked all-time scorer in league history, just behind Michael Jordan. Dirk scored each of his 31,560 points as a Dallas Maverick, breaking Kobe Bryants record of twenty consecutive seasons with one team. Every time an opportunity to play elsewhere arose, Dirk stayed firmly put, no matter what it cost him. The people of Dallas took me in from the beginning and made me part of their community, he says. Ill never forget that for my entire life.

When Dirk came to the United States after being picked in the 1998 NBA draft, he was fulfilling his childhood dream. I grew up in Wrzburg, Germany, in a sporty family, he says. As a boy, he tried everything from handball to tennis to soccer to basketball. I basically grew up in a gym. Dirk spent his summers honing his skills on the court with his coach and mentor Holger Geschwindner, painting homes for his parents small business, and daydreaming about coming to the US and playing for the best league in the world.

The hardest part was leaving my family, leaving my friends, Dirk says of his journey to Texas. And the unknown. Not knowing if I was going to make it in my new profession in the NBA. The twenty-year-old was living on his own and getting used to a new language. Lisa Tyner with the Mavericks helped me with everything. She basically took me under her wing and helped me get adjusted to living in another country. I will never forget it and will always be grateful to the Mavericks for helping me get settled and eventually feeling comfortable off the floor as well as on the floor. Dirk didnt spend much time off the floor. His work ethic was legendary. He practiced so much that at one point, the coaches had to lock him out of the gym to force him to rest.

One thing the Mavs didnt provide was a style consultant. Dirk keeps a photo of himself with former teammate Steve Nash from the 1998 press conference introducing them to Dallas. I had an earring and a brutal bachelor boy 1990s haircut, he says. I like Dirk because he can laugh at himself. I almost painted him from that picture, but I respect him too much. Every time I see that photograph now, it makes me smile because thats where the journey started, he says.

That journey has been one for the record books. Dirks signature one-legged fadeaway jumper was a game-changer. Defying physics, he could launch his already-seven-foot frame high enough into the stratosphere that it was nearly indefensible, inspiring imitation shots from high school gyms to NBA arenas. He also changed the game by raising the profile of international players and paving the way for more to follow him. Dirk was named the leagues most valuable player for the 20067 season and the NBA Finals MVP in 2011. That year, he delivered one of the grittiest performances in playoff history, leading the Mavericks to their first NBA championship. And in 2017, the fourteen-time All-Star earned a less notable but most fitting recognition: the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.

Throughout his career, Dirk was beloved in Dallas and respected across the league. In his final season, 201819, Dirk got a standing ovation during almost every appearance. In Los Angeles, Clippers coach Doc Rivers called an inexplicable time-out with nine seconds left in the game. He walked over to the microphone and asked the crowd to join him in cheers for one of the greatest of all time. Dirks final game was in San Antonio, whose Spurs had been his rivals for decades. They sent him off as if he were one of their own, and Dirk broke down in tears when they welcomed him onto the court for the last time. LeBron James called him unstoppable. Kobe Bryant tweeted, I loved and hated competing against you.

Dirk appreciated all the tributes, but hes most proud of his family. He and his wife, Jessica, have three young children: Malaika, Max, and Morris. They had to sacrifice a lot these last few years while I was still playing and traveling. Now its mostly about family time, he says.

The lanky and lovable star picked up more than one nickname while he was playing. The Blond Bomber. The Dunking Deutschman. But in Dallas, many children have a more endearing name for him: Uncle Dirk. For more than a decade, Dirk has been a frequent visitor to Childrens Medical Centerespecially at Christmastime, when he arrives with more gifts than he can carry. He has spent hundreds of hours there wandering from room to room, playing Guitar Hero, and bringing joy and laughter, the best medicine, to kids who need it most. He has insisted on doing so in privateno press coverage.

When asked about the former Maverick, the teams owner, Mark Cuban, says, For all his accomplishments on the court, it is Dirk the personthe dad, the philanthropist, the friendthat makes Dirk so special to me and all of Dallas.

That, even more than his remarkable career, is why I included Uncle Dirk in this project. The Dirk Nowitzki Foundation has been as generous and loyal to the children of Dallas as its namesake was to the citys NBA franchise. His dedication to our community and our country represents the greatness of America. We are fortunate to have Dirk Nowitzki on our team.

I wish every American realized that being born here is the greatest opportunity. You dont know how lucky you are. And because of that, its our duty to do everything in our power to leave a better America to the next generation.

A s a boy growing up in Thal, Austria, after World War II, Arnold Schwarzenegger dreamed of a better life. And he knew exactly how he would achieve it: by becoming the worlds most muscular man. It was a very strange time, Arnold says. We were poor, food was scarce, and the adults were suffering from what we now know as post-traumatic stress. Our house had no plumbing, no shower, and no flushing toilet. The nearest well was almost a quarter mile away, and we had to walk to fetch water, no matter the weather. My father was strict, and he made us train with knee-bends or crunches or push-ups or chores to earn our breakfast.

Arnold took to the physical training more than the chores and started spending time at the gym. His father, a police officer, wasnt too enthusiastic about Arnolds bodybuilding pursuits. I felt like I was out of place in Austria, Arnold says. There was no room for my big dreams.

There was even less room inside of the tank Arnold drove as a part of his mandatory military service. Every morning during his year with the Austrian Army, he woke up three hours early to work out. Focus, visualizewhatever it takes, he told himself. In Arnolds Blueprint, an ESPN 30 for 30 film, he recounts sneaking off base and onto freight trains in order to reach Stuttgart, Germany, to pose in the 1965 Junior Mr. Europe competitionwhich he won. It was one of those important moments, because I realized I wasnt dreaming, he said in an interview for the film. Theyve never heard of me, and they picked me. So I must have something that is unique.

When Arnold got back to base, he wasnt exactly greeted with a heros welcome. His superiors sent him to solitary confinement for going AWOL and sentenced him with the classic punishment of peeling potatoes. The extra time to work out alone and the opportunity to devour protein in the kitchen turned out to be a gift. Arnold gained twenty-five pounds of muscle that year. His comrades started to rally behind him and pushed him to train even harder. The next year, he won Mr. Europe, then Mr. Universe in London in 1967 and 1968.