Check Out Michael Ceorgoveanu’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Ceorgoveanu.

Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
How I started my journey… I was born May 11th, 1985. The day of birth I had the umbilical chord wrapped around my neck and was having breathing issues. The nurses had to rush me away immediately before my parents could hold me. I grew up in a small town in Northampton, MA as a 90’s kid around when Michael Jordan was a rookie that was named “A Star Has Been Born”

Watching him on TV, driving to the hoop, dunking over other players all the time, fancy shots, etc… I wanted to play like Mike. My parents saw my interest in MJ and started to buy me everything and anything with his face or name on it. From his basketball shoes, to his clothes, hats, team jerseys, watches, cereal boxes, collector cards, posters, shorts, wrist bands, collector plates, wheaties box with him on the front of the box, basketball hoops and the list goes on. I even taped every single Bulls game with a VHS tape.

This passion for Michael Jordan as the greatest player to ever play the game, helped me to find my own love for the game but living through his shadow at the time. I began watching him play in games on T.V. and it motivated me to go out and practice on my own hoop. I remember wanting to dunk but I was too small, so I would take a milk crate and place it in front of the rim (very dangerous) and I would run and jump up on it and then dunk on the hoop. It was such an amazing feeling to dunk at such a young age.

Then we ended up buying a trampoline later on and I would move that directly under the rim and just jump on the trampoline and do all kinds of dunks. I would also pretend I’m playing a game as if I’m on the Chicago Bulls team (the NBA team that Michael Jordan was drafted to and played for, and won 6 championships with, back to back three peats). I played in my driveway against invisible players using my imagination.

My parents saw how much I loved Basketball and how happy it makes me, so they surprised me one day picking me up from school with a new and better Michael Jordan basketball hoop in the back of the van. I’ve never been more excited. One day I ended up throwing the basketball off the backboard for a dunk and the backboard cracked. I no longer had a hoop to play on. Then my parents invested a lot of money into the Gorilla Basketball hoop that was cemented into the ground. The same hoop that the NBA uses. So I ended up being more serious about my game on this hoop and practicing shooting more instead of just dunking.

As a kid growing up I was so loyal to the game and the Chicago Bulls, so much so that I would wear to school the following day after a Chicago Bulls game win the night prior, my full Bulls uniform everytime they won the night before. My Jordan Bulls jersey, Bulls shorts and Jordan sneakers. And the Bulls won a lot, so I would wear the uniform more than once a week.

And I was so obsessed with Michael Jordan back then that I would draw Michael Jordan dunking and the Chicago Bulls logo while in class. I even went further with writing my name Michael Jordan on my school papers instead of my own name hahaha. My teacher called my parents to let them know. My dad and I would also take trips to the mall to buy a pair of Jordan’s and then eat at the food court. I always put them on in the car on the way home because I was too excited to wait. This was the only bonding my dad and I really had once I started school. He worked hard at a factory overnight, then would sleep mornings and watch TV before going into work again. Both my dad and mom were great parents.

As I grew older into middle school, I took the game more seriously and would practice in my driveway every day. I would first watch either a Bulls game that was on TV or I would watch a Michael Jordan VHS documented movie that would motivate me to go out and reenact what I watched. I would blast music from my window and just hoop for hours. It was therapy for me, my escape from the world. I loved it! There was nothing like it!

I ended up trying out for leagues, to get into more competitive play. I played for the REC department, YMCA basketball league, AAU and I attended Basketball World Camp that my parents sent me off to. I really enjoyed that a lot and it helped me better to craft my skills and learn to play with others. I tried out for a league held at JFK middle school in Florence, MA and was cut from the team. This reminded me of the time Michael Jordan got cut from trying out his sophomore year at Laney High School.

It had the same effect on me. I came home crying, wondering why I didn’t make the team. Then I told my dad and myself that I’m going to practice all summer long and make the team for sure next year. And that gave me the “why” motivation and drive I needed to up my game, without the option of failure or defeat. This very moment I believe gave me that same mentality that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have. The “give it your all and hold nothing back” mentality. This also gave me a stronger work ethic on the court and a leader mentality as well.

So I did exactly that. I practiced all summer long, joined summer tournaments, leagues, won trophies, played against some of the neighborhood kids, etc… Next year came and I made the team. From that moment on I never looked back, only forward.

During this time there was an incident that happened on the bus with a school bully, he made fun of my mom while she was working in her garden. He said “there’s your fat mom out in the garden” I replied “Don’t talk about my mom like that” then he punched me in the nose and broke it. I then had breathing issues while playing sports, running, etc… This is when my Basketball journey shifted. I’ve had four surgeries on my nose to this day and still have slight breathing issues that make it difficult for me to play all out without quick fatigue. But I still give it my all everytime I step onto a court.

I wanted to go to a normal High School, which for me would have been Northampton High School, but my sister attended Smith Vocational Agricultural High School and got straight A’s, and was loved by all the teachers. So my mom was hoping the same would happen for me, so she made me go to that school. But for me when I’m forced to do something I rebel. So I was not liked by the teachers because I didn’t take school seriously. I was the class clown if you will. And I definitely didn’t get straight A’s like my older sister did.

One day I was playing basketball in the school gym before school started, and I was playing a pickup game with others. The others that I was playing against said I was really good and should tryout for the team. They even told their coach to have me tryout. So I eneded up trying out and I made the varsity team as the only freshman on the team. That was a really cool accomplishment in my life for me. I had the jersey #25. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had bought Air Jordan XI Concords that I played in. My favorite shoes of all time are the Air Jordan XI Breds. My coach told me that I was going to start the next game, I was so excited! Unfortunately the first time I was supposed to start in the game, was also the day of yearbook photos. And the day my family decided to come and support me in the stands. Well…my mom took forever to get ready so we were late to the game. Not only did I not start, but I also missed my yearbook photos. So in the yearbook it has my name only and not my photo.

I remember traveling with the team by bus to other cities to play against our opponents, it was a lot of a fun! Sophomore year I was still eager to go to a regular High School. After all the trouble I stirred up in that school, I finally sent the message to my parents and they let me transfer to Northampton High School. I tried out for the basketball team there and only made the JV (Junior Varsity) team. After making varsity in my previous school, I didn’t want to play JV, I felt I deserved to be on the varsity team in this school as well. So I declined the offer of playing JV and didn’t play at all for that high school.

My pride didn’t allow me to see myself or accept myself below varsity. I realized now that I should have played JV and proven to the coach that I belonged on varsity. But I guess that wasn’t apart of my journey or God’s plan for my life. Shortly after I eneded up dropping out of high school and getting my GED. I never finished my sophomore year.

I then started to fade away from the game of basketball after an ex girlfriend of mine said I should try modeling and I could make a lot of money, and that I have a good look. I never thought anything about modeling because I wasn’t into myself and my image in that way. But when I heard I could make money from it, I gave it a shot. I came to find out that if you’re serious about a career in modeling that you should move to Los Angeles, New York, London, etc… The big city markets.

I moved out to Los Angeles, Hollywood area and pursued my modeling career. I lived in LA from 2008 to 2016. I have modeled for numerous companies and brands. I modeled for the 2014 Harley Davidson “Man & Machine” calendar, Divulge Magazine September 2013 spread, I took 1st place in the All American Guys fitness contest, and I’ve never worked out a day in my life to this day. I believe my natural muscular physique came from my Romanian genetics on my dad’s side. He was also fit and a PE (Physical Education) teacher before he had me. But he never taught me anything, I learned it all on my own.

I did some runway shows in Vegas, as well as being a booth model. I’ve also done some charity runway shows, I was a romance book cover model for S.L. Scott “The Resistance” and Tessa Teevan “Intoxicate”

I started to work on film sets as a background actor to make income on the side. I really enjoyed it and started to pursue a career in acting as well. I ended up being the lead in many music videos, mainly for persian music artists. I also had a feature on CSI NY: “Crushed” playing the role of Stephen. I was a Navy Seal stunt performer on Deadliest Warrior: Navy Seals v.s. Israeli Commandos and the list goes on.

My then fitness manager Renee was talking to me over the phone about God and asked me if I wanted to give my life to Christ. I said yes! That very night I repented to God as a sinner, confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and that I would follow Him, and I believed in my heart that He died and rose again 3 days later. My life began to change tremendously. I lost “friends” who I thought were my friends. My environment around me changed completely.

I ended up in a toxic relationship which at that time I lost my job over, I was working on film sets as a production assistant and grip. Then I became homeless living on the street of LA. It was a humbling experience for me because I had to depend solely on God for food, transportation, shelter, survival, money, etc… It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and I’m glad that I went through it. I’ve never felt more closer to God in my life then in that very moment of my life. It was definitely God breaking down that old toxic version of me (spoiled, arrogant, selfish, etc…) and creating a new version of me that was grateful, selfless, caring, giving, loving, honest, thoughtful, etc… God saw me through that situation and got me into a new stable situation and healthier relationship at that time.

Around that same time I also got into a motorcycle accident with my R1. The car turned left in front of me, I hit my rear and front brakes and locked up my wheels. I skid 57′ with my bike on the pavement. The windscreen of my bike impacted my chest and I had a hard time breathing. My head hit the passenger side door and the tires of the cars drove over both my legs. I had no broken bones, just road rash that healed naturally within 3 days. A witness saw my accident and came over and noticed a cross necklace around my neck and immediately started praying. I felt electric volts go from their arm into my body and I was immediately able to breathe again. She said she witnessed a miracle and that she wasn’t supposed to go down that street but a voice told her to. This very day is the day I noticed that God was there with me and kept me safe through a miracle. I should have been in a wheelchair. So that very day I devoted my life to truly following Jesus by my actions and not just my words. Even after all that, you can’t keep me down. Even with Basketball it’s tough on my back but I still give it my all. I plan to buy another R1 after I can get some money to buy one, and make content on social media riding.

I always wanted my career to take off working as an actor on one of the “Fast and Furious” films, alongside one of my favorite actors Paul Walker. Because I love fast cars (mainly classic muscle cars – Mustangs specifically), action and at that time girls (I’m now married). My other favorite actors that I looked up to were Ashton Kutcher, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Ryan Reynolds, Bruce Willis, Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey, and the list goes on.

When Paul Walker passed away with driver Roger Rodas, it really crushed me that he was gone and also now I’ll never work beside him. I lived in Studio City, CA at that time which wasn’t far from the crash site. I had joined a Facebook group that was discussing the upcoming memorial at the crash site. People wanted to pay their respects but couldn’t make it out because they didn’t live close by. So I allowed God to use me to bless these people, and I volunteered and gave my personal email out so they could email me their prayers. I did this all without seeking attention, connections or praise.

I was thinking to myself that I’ll just print them out and leave them at the crash site. Then I realized that we had no ink for the printer. I didn’t want to let them down so I hand wrote every prayer that I could before the night ended, because the memorial was the next day. I was able to write out 90 prayers and leave them at the crash site. I took a photo of their prayer on site and emailed it back to them. They were all very grateful. I used the hashtag #HeavenLane for people to find these posts on Instagram.

At this time in my life I wasn’t passionate about the craft and art of modeling or acting. I was just this entitled spoiled kid that wanted the spotlight and fame. So my “why” was not there to give me the commitment and drive that I needed in order to be successful in my career. I didn’t give it my all, so I fell short. When the year 2016 came along I decided to retire from modeling and acting and call it quits.

I then created an online ministry for God, sharing His Word in truth with non believers and followers of Jesus Christ. The ministry was called @SeekJesusJohn316 and later was changed to @HolySpiritMessenger which it currently is. I had a pretty big following at that time, around 40k followers on Instagram, which was all followers of Christ and not mine. I later deleted my Instagram ministry and moved it to YouTube with 3k+ subscribers.

I met my now wife through my ministry back in 2017 through Instagram. We have been together since then, 8 years now. We have two beautiful children (son – Gabriel who is now 3 years old and a daughter – Lily who is turning 1 May 11th 2025) that God spoke the names of to me before they were born. So I realized at that point that this was God’s calling over my life.

Which leads me to now, moving back to LA with my wife and kids, this time to pursue a career in Basketball content creation for YouTube and Instagram. So we moved to Venice Beach to make content at the Venice Basketball courts. I’m going to tryout for the upcoming Venice Basketball League this summer. And collab with other content creators. My goal is to build up a big enough audience who enjoys my Basketball content, and to make it into the well known Creator League as a known content creator that does it all for the glory of God. To also get endorsed or collab with Jordan brand. Because they still remain my favorite brand and Jordan is still my favorite player of all time. All while wearing my hat that shares the Gospel of Salvation on it “JOHN 3:16” I am playing for Jesus giving God all the glory and knowing He is the one who blesses and guides my journey ahead through His will and His way.

On the side of Basketball content creation, I’m a sneakerhead at heart (Jordan’s only) I work alongside Sneaker Shields (IG @Sneakershields). I enjoy collecting Jordan shoes, doing review videos on them, and helping save people 50% off www.sneakershields.com with my promo code AirMikeXXIII To help other sneakerheads and collectors keep their shoes crease free, with fresh insole and outsole protection through the products offered on the website. I look forward to where my path in Basketball will take me and would love your support in following along with my journey.

Follow my socials if you’d like to support my journey that lies ahead.

Instagram: @AirMikeXXIII @R1RavenMike @MichaelCeorgoveanu

YouTube: @AirMikeXXIII @InfluencerMike @R1RavenMike @HolySpiritMessenger

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of the struggles along the way were a stable living environment. It’s hard to get going and to focus on my goal with all the moving around. Support and encouragement from family. I didn’t have the support and encouragement from my family. They only attended one of my games. A broken nose that hinders my breathing ability. To this day I have troubles breathing. Which makes it very difficult for people to see my full potential. I give it my all always because that’s my work ethic, but it’s not my full potential. Finances, struggling financially makes it extremely difficult to pay for a basketball, basketball shoes, clothes to hoop in, membership fees to indoor courts, etc… Lastly, not having means of transportation like a vehicle to get around, visit local parks, etc.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As far as my work goes, I create Basketball content for my YouTube channel and Instagram account @EpicMike316. It’s a fairly new account because I recently moved to Venice, CA. I’ll be visiting local Basketball courts and record content of me playing competitive games. I’m also an Amazon Influencer that creates product review videos for my YouTube channel @InfluencerMike.

I’m known for playing a similar game to Michael Jordan, because that’s who I learned from growing up. The hang time, the fancy shots, the tough defense, work ethic, drive, leadership, etc… This is what sets me apart from others, because I attack the basket and play in the air, and I give it my all on both ends of the court which is rare these days in the Basketball world unfortunately.

What I’m most proud of is accepting God’s will over my life and allowing Him to pave the way of this journey for me. While having the support of my lovely godly wife and children beside me every step of the way. And I’m proud of us moving out here to Venice Beach strictly out of faith that God will provide, walking distance to the beach to pursue this career path.

I’m proud of myself for not allowing my broken nose to stop me. For continuing to push through the best that I can. For hopefully being an inspiration for others to never give up, to give it your all and find your “why” you’re doing this in the first place, to motivate you until the end.

To also inspire others to be boldly about their faith regardless of the atmosphere, and to allow God to use you to share the gospel from all walks of life, and to advance His Kingdom giving Him all the glory!

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory was riding my bicycle to the elementary school that I attended and practicing on the hoop after school. Making the varsity team as a freshman and AAU.

Watching Michael Jordan play on TV.

And lastly, creating neighborhood teams and competing against each other in made up tournaments with kids from school.

Contact Info:

• Website:  @MichaelCeorgoveanu, www.amazon.com/shop/InfluencerMike
• Instagram: @AirMikeXXIII, R1RavenMike
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EpicMike316; R1RavenMike
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/@HolySpiritMessenger

Image Credits
Brian Mabasa Litrato