![]() It was like in the movies where you’re driving the car down a long road, where there’s a whole lot of nothing. He would soon get his opportunity on the gridiron, but first would be coping with the culture shock as his family relocated from coastal Chalkida to mountainous Boise, Idaho. And who would have known, ten years later I would have a black belt.”ĭespite his athleticism seemingly knowing no bounds, Tarlas did not even know football – the American kind – was a thing, let alone something he would be good at. So my parents were like ‘fine, we’ll put you in karate’. And I still remember to this day just freezing, getting cold feet, scared and screaming whilst my brother tried to fight them off. Once when I was four me and my elder brother were picked on by some older kids who tried to rob us. ![]() During Christmas in Greece we would go round and sing door to door, and get money. “I did karate for ten years and I have a black belt! That started when I was younger. Even so, I was unprepared to learn of his other exploits: To represent his country at such a young age gives me a clue just to how naturally gifted he is when it comes to sport. And with Tarlas being tall and athletic, it was inevitable he would shine on the court. As a national sport, it is almost as popular as soccer. Playing basketball in Greece is unsurprising. So from the very beginning it was always trying to be the best versions of ourselves.” For me, that started back home with basketball we would play a lot of ball growing up, and I even played for a professional team called Ikaros Kallitheas in Athens at the age of thirteen, as well as the national team. We have always been a big sporting family, with the idea we would grow up and use sports to go to college, and try to be the best we can be. I was the youngest, with one elder brother and sister, as well as having two other brothers already in the US. Eventually they decided to relocate to Greece and raise a family there. My dad Ioannis visited the States back in the day and that’s where they met. ![]() For George, he seems happy to tell his story, reminiscing of his time back home: It’s as unconventional a beginning to any professional career as I’ve come across, and yet I’ll soon learn that the Tarlas family were always focused on sporting success. This is where the story of Georgios Tarlas is born. A beautiful beach town to the north of Athens that sits on the Euripus Strait separating the North and South Gulfs of Euboea.
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