George 'The Messiah' Papoutsis, streetball powerhouse: If You Can Make It Here with Mike Marza
NEW YORK (WABC) -- In this episode of "If You Can Make It Here with Mike Marza," we get to know a real powerhouse on the basketball court and in life, George "The Messiah" Papoutsis.
He's well known for his streetball videos at the West 4th courts in Greenwich Village.
But, Papoutsis shares with Marza the grit and grind that it took throughout his life to get where he is today. He drove a cab and even painted bridges before taking up basketball. In fact, he said that he gave up the sport for a bit because he was scared to lose his position in the union if he were to get injured playing the game he loves.
In this, Papoutsis shares:
- What led him to pick a basketball up again
- How playing with Shaq was one of the highlights of his time on the court
- What it is like being recognized for his amazing skills and why people sometimes underestimated him
- What he did to overcome his accounts getting hacked
- How he has turned a major loss in his life to push him to succeed
- His favorite things about New York City
Papoutsis' said that his journey proves that if you can make it here, in New York, you can make it anywhere. Tune in to find out how his process might apply to your own.
You can follow George "The Messiah" Papoutsis on his Instagram page HERE and also on TikTok.
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