Dirk Nowitzki’s ex-fiance Cristal Taylor was discovered to be a woman with a shady history and criminal background last spring. The two were set to be married -Cristal already had her dress and shoes picked out- until investigators hired by Dirk pulled her skeleton’s out of the closet.

Cristal is serving five years in a Missouri prison for violating her probation in a previous forgery theft case. She cried to Inside Edition in a recent interview and said she still loves Dirk Nowitzki “Very much so.”

WFAA-TV put together this package:

Of course she was really pregnant but lost the baby due to stress.. Of course. You can read more of the transcript from Cristal Taylor’s interview at Inside Edition and try to figure out why they’re making Taylor out to be a sympathetic figure. She has to share a cell with three people.. Oh no. She ripped people off, had several aliases, and lied to Dirk about her background. What am I supposed to feel sorry about?

NBA Star’s Ex-Fiancee Speaks From Prison [Inside Edition]

Video: Former Nowitzki fiancee talks from Missouri prison [WFAA-TV]

Cristal Taylor, the woman with the checkered past that was living with Dirk Nowitzki, gave her first interview since being arrested by telephone from the Beaumont Jail in Jefferson County, Texas.

According to Taylor she’s broke, pregnant, and Dirk hasn’t talked to her since the arrest. He even changed his phone number.

“I’ve known Dirk for seven years – and, no, I didn’t tell him everything about my past because I was afraid,” Taylor said. “But, I mean, now I’m pregnant and alone and broke because he is my only source of income.”

Dirk was Cristal Taylor’s only source of income? In what capicity was she working for him because it’s obvious she was’t cooking or cleaning. The funny/sad thing is this will probably get uglier for Dirk before it finally goes away.

Cristal Taylor tells DMN she’s pregnant with Dirk Nowitzki’s child [The Dallas Morning News]

Dirk Nowitzki’s Lady Friend Gives Jailhouse Interview [DeadSpin]

The Denver Nuggets ended the Dallas Mavericks‘ season Wednesday night leaving Dirk Nowitzki free to deal with his problems off the court. The checkered past of his fiance Cristal Taylor is coming to light and there seems to be a new story everyday.

The latest twist takes us back to 1997 when Taylor dated former St. Louis Rams quarterback Tony Banks. The situation never got public like it did for Nowitzki, and Banks never lived with Taylor like Nowitzki did, but the mess had the Rams considering drafting Jake Plummer and ditching Banks.

It took a while but Dirk smartened up. He hired a private investigator and got the cops involved. Banks tried to deal with Taylor on his own and found out what Dirk wishes he had known: She’s Crazy.

From The Dallas Morning News:

When their brief relationship fizzled, Banks said, Taylor began making harassing phone calls to him, his agent and even his St. Louis Rams head coach, Dick Vermeil.

Alarmed that Taylor was “trying to run my name through the mud,” Banks notified team security, which learned Taylor had a criminal history and had used multiple identities.

“This is unbelievable,” Banks said. “This is wild. I can’t believe it’s the same chick.”

Wild indeed. Sucks for Dirk. Breaking up with somebody is bad enough on its own. Dirk’s relationship falls apart and everybody in the country knows the situation. With the collapse in the 2006 Finals, the embarrassing first-round loss to Golden State in 2007, and this Cristal Taylor mess, it’s gonna be impossible for Nowitzki’s career to the respect it deserves.

Former NFL QB says woman targeted him before Dirk Nowitzki [The Dallas Morning News]