George Papas enjoys being fan favorite, doesn't mind making enemies for Liverpool's sake / News - Basketnews.com

George Papas is preparing for his Greece NT debut and talks to BasketNews about his relationship with the country, Olympiacos' fans, Liverpool FC, and Giorgos Bartzokas.

Credit: Olympiacos BC Credit Olympiacos BC

When George Papas joined Olympiacos Piraeus last summer, a large number of Greek fans looked him up on the internet to get some information.

On most occasions, the first thing one would come across is the story that unfolded on November 15, 2019, and turned the spotlight on the Greek-American guard.

With Kansas running out the clock in the final seconds of a blowout win against Papas' Monmouth University, Kansas players were dribbling out the clock. Papas stole the ball and raced downcourt for a dunk.

To add insult to injury, the junior college player celebrated his feat in a rather flamboyant way, using the F-word.

The referees punished him with a technical foul, but Papas acquired instant fame - or notoriety, depending on one's point of view. In any case, the video has garnered close to 8 million views on Twitter ever since.

More than three years on, Papas is playing in Europe, in an environment where every possession counts and every game matters. Even though the 'fair play' concept is somewhat ambiguous, it's likely that opponent fans wouldn't appreciate his hustle in a game that has already been decided.

"I play with a lot of emotion and feed off the crowd. Fans in Europe are insane, and I wouldn't have it any other way," Papas tells BasketNews from Athens while preparing to make his Greece NT debut in the FIBA 2023 World Cup qualifiers.

"I've always played hard. When I did it, I was a bit mad at how we lost. They were playing to the end too. It's not like I did it out of nowhere," he defends himself.

In his third season at the prestigious Monmouth University, Papas played 17.3 minutes per game and enjoyed every minute of it. Yet, his motivation was much greater when he visited the legendary Allen Fieldhouse.

"The dunk he had at Kansas, George is that kid," Papas' father, Stefanos Papathanasiou, told Stephen Edelson. "He is not leaving the court until he wins. He will play you all night until he gets that W. He is very competitive, and that is what I saw in him from a young age."

"Honestly, it was a crazy environment there," George recalls. "I saw the opportunity, and I did it. I don't have any regrets about it, I'd do it again. Maybe I wouldn't curse on camera, but I'd definitely go for the steal and the dunk," he insists.

Since his father was born in Greece, George was able to re-patriate and now has dual citizenship, a development that makes playing basketball in Greece easier. The country's national team, which has already qualified for the 2023 World Cup, wouldn't mind adding two more wins to their tally against Serbia and Latvia.

The team coached by Dimitris Itoudis, who flew over from Belgrade to Athens to guide the squad against Serbia, is essentially deprived of EuroLeague players, with the exceptions of Papas and Panathinaikos' forward Panagiotis Kalaitzakis.

"It's a real honor. I'm excited to represent the country and make my family happy," says Papas.

"Even since a kid, I knew this day would come. It hasn't hit me yet, but I'm really excited to see what the actual feeling is when I step on the court. I'm not really sure what to expect," he admits.

This time, George Papas didn't announce his invitation to the national team, as he had done with his transfer to Olympiacos last August. However, the 24-year-old shooting guard wasn't invited to the Greek NT for the first time. He received the first call-up to the men's team last November but didn't play. But this time, he's slated to appear on the court.

Credit Hellenic BF

In 2018, he was invited to the Under-20 team, which was preparing for the EuroBasket held in Kremnitz, Germany.

"He joined the team towards the end of training camp, but he didn't look ready, and there was still a bureaucratic unfinished business with his passport," recalled Giannis Kastritis, current Aris Thessaloniki head coach and play-caller of Greece U20 team at the time.

"He was a skilled shooter, possessing a good release and explosiveness in his execution, but he lacked some other elements in his game, and he was relatively weak," Kastritis told Sport24.gr.

Eventually, the 12-man squad included his current Olympiacos teammate, Michalis Lountzis, and Dimitris Moraitis, considered the biggest talent in Greece born in 1999.

"I did two weeks of training camp with the U20 Team before I had to go back to school," Papas remembers.

"Giorgos Kalaitzakis and Dimitris Moraitis were there, and I've kept in touch throughout the whole time. It's good to see them again. We're five years older now, and we've got five years of basketball knowledge on our backs," he jokes.

While Papas has only played two EuroLeague contests with Olympiacos, he's getting more minutes in the Greek league. He registered the best game of his pro career against Apollon Patras a month ago, scoring 16 points on 5/7 field goals.

Papas says it wasn't particularly hard for him to convince coach Giorgos Bartzokas and the organization of Olympiacos that he rightfully belongs to this level and deserves an opportunity.

"They gave me a chance to play in pre-season. I've been playing basketball my whole life. So, I just went out and showed them I can play," the Greek international explains.

Papas points out that he didn't need anadjustment period while transitioning to his maiden professional season. Still, he had to get accustomed to a faster pace on offense and a different defensive philosophy from what he was used to at college.

"Maybe I struggled a bit at first, but I feel like I'm adjusting well and figuring out what the coaches want from me on defense," he stresses.

"At the end of the day, it's basketball. Whether it's Monmouth University, Olympiacos, or Greece, across my chest, I always play as hard as I can. Now, I want to play with heart and honor for the country."

This window gives a chance to non-EuroLeague players to get a first taste of what it will be like when they join Greece in big competitions.

For a guy like Papas, who hasn't had much playing time this season, being with the national team will allow him to showcase his skills and enable his coaches to find out whether he can be an integral part of the squad.

"It's awesome that I got the chance right now, and I'm really excited to show what I can do," he notes, while adding that having EuroLeague games scheduled on the same day as FIBA windows fixtures is "a little strange."

In fact, Olympiacos are being hosted by Valencia Basket a few minutes after the Greece-Serbia clash is over.

The Reds decided to keep their main domestic players (Kostas Sloukas, Kostas Papanikolaou, Giannoulis Larentzakis, Michalis Lountzis), as they lead the EuroLeague standings with a 17-7 balance.

Credit InTime Sports

"There's nothing we could have done about it," Papas comments.

"But I would have loved to have been able to watch the game, and some of the guys would have loved to watch me play. I just hope we take care of business in Valencia and also here in Athens."

Papas will tune in to Olympiacos' game to support his teammates and friends, with whom he's built a special bond and relationship.

"We're considered the best team in Europe," Papas utters with pride.

"It's awesome for me to be around all the guys. We have a lot of veterans and former NBA guys. It's a good learning experience, and I'm really happy to be with this team."

Perhaps the most important piece of information Olympiacos' fans needed to know was that Papas grew up as one of them.

Stefanos Papathanasiou had played in the early 80s at Olympiacos, while his firstborn son -and George's brother - Tommy competed with Apollon Patras and then with Mykonos, now a third-division club.

"I always knew about Greek basketball because my dad was born here. He played for a little bit with Olympiacos. That made me more accustomed to the team," George Papas thinks.

Despite spending only six months with Olympiacos, Papas instantly became a fan favorite. Whenever the Reds are up by many, and the game draws to a close, it's standard practice for the crowd to ask Bartzokas to play him.

When Papas finally hits the court, the crowd cheers him on. That routine is likely to go on for the rest of the season, as Papas has somehow replaced Quincy Acy as the last man on the rotation, although he admits he has no clue how all that started.

"I was myself. My energy's always high, I'm always trying to make jokes, and I'm active on social media. I guess fans love that, and I love them back. It's not like me trying anything different besides being myself," he reflects.

After Olympiacos beat Real Madrid on the road on October 19, Papas took his interaction with fans to another level. Apart from taking selfies before and after games, he joined a Twitter space and made his presence felt with his favorite motto: "Olympiacos, let's ride!"

"I wanted to be a little funny, and fans love it," the Greek-American player has found out.

"That was cool. Being a rookie in Greece is fun. The fans in Greece are like no other in the whole world. They're showing us so much love, so I'm trying to show more love back."

Papas' Twitter account is replete with football references, with a particular focus on Liverpool FC.

Describing how he became a fan of the prestigious English club, the New Jersey-born guard says no family member was involved in his initiation. When he was 15, he just turned on the television, and a random Premier League game was on.

"I was watching them play. It was Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge, and I was like, 'Wow, I like these guys!' Ever since then, I've watched as many games as I could," Papas describes.

Now, he calls himself "a pretty devoted fan" and confesses that one of his dreams is to catch a game at Anfield one day.

"Hopefully, that will come soon because I've been dreaming of that for a while," he underlines.

Actually, Papas' love for Liverpool is manifest in many ways. After Real Madrid racked up a huge 5-2 comeback win over the Reds in Anfield for the UEFA Champions League, Luka Doncic was quick to celebrate the Spanish triumph with a tweet.

Papas took the time to respond to the Slovenian star that the two "are now enemies."

"That was a really bad loss for Liverpool," the Olympiacos player argues. "Things for them are a little disappointing right now."

Papas adds that the tweet at Luka Doncic was a joke.

"He's a phenomenal player. I love his game and respect him."

But creating a long-distance 'enemy' in Luka Doncic is rather easy compared to how bad things could have turned out for Papas in his regular job, where he has to work with a coach who's a devoted Manchester United fan.

"Oh, we just crack jokes at each other all the time. It's never bad feelings," he says.

Credit Olympiacos BC

Papas recounts how Giorgos Bartzokas reacted when he first saw him dressed in Liverpool gear.

"He found out I was a Liverpool fan because one day, I walked in at practice with a Mo Salah jersey," Papas recalls. "He saw it, and he just put his hands to his face in disappointment."

Liverpool are obviously having a disappointing campaign, but Papas is at least relishing his first professional season on and off the court.

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