Being an athlete is not just about mastering a sport. It’s about mastering yourself.
I get really pissed off when people say an athlete is just the sum of their physical skills. I strongly disagree.
Yes, I am an athlete—but more than that, I’m a skill machine. Any skill you want.
Why? Because after 35 years of living in a result-oriented, performance-driven, competitive environment, you don’t just pick up techniques.
You shape a mindset.
You develop habits.
You forge a problem-solving mentality.
You grow.
As a professional basketball player for 18 seasons, I dedicated my life to the mastery of the sport —entering the top level at just 17.
What I didn’t know then, but know now is that it was never just about bouncing a ball and making baskets. It was about building something of substance, both in sport and in self. And yet, when I retired, I was hit with the emptiness that many athletes face: Was that all there is?
I know now that it’s not.
Because what people don’t talk about enough is everything that happens around the game.
What is not widely addressed is everything else that is happening in and around an athlete’s life.
I went through two major depressive episodes during my career. I always knew who I was on the court, but when bureaucracy, setbacks, and internal battles hit hard, I started questioning everything. Back then, I didn’t understand what I was feeling. Now, I know many athletes silently go through the same.
And truthfully, my greatest achievement in basketball isn’t the trophies—it’s the fact that I made it through those dark times. That, and the friendships I formed.
Basketball gave me more than just a career—it gave me global experiences, cultural insights, deep relationships, an understanding of my limits and how to overcome them. It was a path to discovering the Self, and now I want to pass that on.
That is my drive. How to achieve one’s own full potential!
After retirement, I asked myself, What now? And it hit me: combine my two passions—coaching and psychology—and use my experience to help others. I earned my diploma in Sports Science from the Aristotelian University and began coaching youth basketball, where I test and evolve my mental performance system every day. Now, I’m here for the athlete who’s struggling in silence. For the one who’s just starting out. For the one questioning their identity after the final whistle. Because I’ve been there—and I know the way forward.
“Today, Someone, somewhere, is just starting out—right where I once was. What if they didn’t have to go through the same pain? What if someone could guide them through it?”
