(Tours) His humorous videos have made him a star on social networks: from the height of his 2.22 m, professional basketball player Vincent Pourchot has made his size a strength to help those who suffer from their physical differences.
Posted at 8:00 a.m.
In the aisles of a shopping center in Tours, the player of Tours Métropole Basket (ProB) does not go unnoticed.
“Look, it’s the giant of TikTok! “says a young man to his boyfriend. The teenagers ask him for a selfie, Vincent complies with good grace. It is even he who realizes it. Its huge arms allow even more recoil.
The technique is well established, assures the 29-year-old athlete.
“Before, I systematically refused selfies with strangers, I didn’t want to be a freak,” he recalls. “Since I have been present on social networks, it has been different. It is almost a duty to say yes”.
The basketball player has made his height an advantage. Over the seasons, he has become the club’s mascot, and much more since he has been broadcasting his videos.
“I took the plunge during confinement. One evening, I filmed myself dancing to demonstrate that it was impossible for me to see myself fully in the mirrors of my apartment,” he explains. “The video wasn’t great, but I posted it on TikTok anyway. What a surprise when you wake up! »
Coming out of a bed in which he can only lie down diagonally, the pivot has indeed noticed that his video had been “liked” by nearly 200,000 people. “Since that day, I decided to stage my status as a giant,” he says.
“I feel useful”
And the results exceeded all his hopes.
The Messin now totals 1.6 million subscribers on TikTok. Mainly young people who revel in its daily inconveniences told with humor. Vincent is for example obliged to lower his head before going through each door or to sit on a chair to do the dishes.
He films himself in the too small bathrooms of hotels or also plays with the advantages of his size. “I change light bulbs easily,” he smiles.
“I assume my large size, I live very well with it,” he swears before taking on his new role. ” This is not the case of everyone. I just received a message from a boy being bullied at school because of his height. He assures me that my videos have restored his self-confidence. I feel useful. »
The colossus of Touraine is also transformed into an influencer, he who gives his good addresses in clothing. Finding XXXL is indeed not easy, even if in private, he admits to having found a solution… family.
“My mother has a passion for sewing,” he says. “I recently gave her the Rolls-Royce of sewing machines. She is the one who makes my joggings, my T-shirts and my suits”.
Over the months, the almost thirty-something has become an example for all people who suffer from their physical differences. His notoriety has now far exceeded the floors. When Tours plays away, young aficionados and fans of the giant, who sometimes know nothing about basketball, travel to see it.
Solicited on television sets, the slender pivot has also been approached by the cinema. “I was offered a good role in a feature film, but I had to be free for more than a month. It is incompatible with professional basketball, ”regrets Vincent Pourchot.
But his popularity continues to feed his projects: he would see himself as a writer, just to continue to promote “the strength of difference”.