{{short description|British basketball player (born 1981)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use British English|date=October 2012}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = David Aliu | image = David Aliu Mersey Tigers BBL Cup Final 2011.JPG | caption = | position = Power forward | height_m = 1.98 | weight_kg = | league = | team = | number = 11 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|3|13|df=y}} | birth_place = Liverpool, England | high_school = Notre Dame Academy<br/>(Middleburg, Virginia) | college = Morehead State University (2000–2004) | draft_year = 2004 | career_start = 2004 | career_end = 2016 | years1 = 2004 | team1 = Scottish Rocks | years2 = 2005 | team2 = Tindastóll | years3 = 2005–2006 | team3 = Hamar/Selfoss | years4 = 2006–2007 | team4 = Leicester Riders | years5 = 2006–2007 | team5 = Þór Þorlákshöfn | years6 = 2007 | team6 = Celso Míguez Procolor | years7 = 2007–2008 | team7 = Everton Tigers | years8 = 2008–2009 | team8 = Lausanne | years9 = 2010–2012 | team9 = Mersey Tigers | years10 = 2012–2014 | team10 = Manchester Giants | years11 = 2014–2016 | team11 = Cheshire Phoenix | highlights = *BBL champion (2011) *BBL Trophy winner (2011) }} '''David Aliu''' (born 13 March 1981) is a British former basketball player. He last played for Cheshire Phoenix in the British Basketball League (BBL). Aliu was part of the Mersey Tigers' treble-winning 2010/11 team, and in November 2011, became the Tigers' record points scorer in the BBL.<ref>{{cite news |title=Basketball: Mersey Tigers captain David Aliu racks up 1000 BBL points |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/other-sport/basketball-mersey-tigers-captain-david-3357829 |accessdate=14 January 2020 |work=Liverpool Echo |date=16 December 2011}}</ref>
==Early life and career== Born in Liverpool, England, Aliu started playing basketball at the age of 14 in his home town of Liverpool, playing for local side Toxteth Tigers. He landed a scholarship in the US, playing at the Notre Dame Academy in Virginia, before moving on to and graduating from Morehead State University, Kentucky in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Dave Powell |title=The unlikely career path paved with success for Cheshire Phoenix star David Aliu |url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/sport/basketball/unlikely-career-path-paved-success-9887573 |accessdate=14 January 2020 |work=Cheshire Live |date=20 August 2015}}</ref>
==Professional career== The power forward made his British Basketball League debut on 01/10/2004 playing for Scottish Rocks against Newcastle Eagles, and he went on to make 11 appearances for the Rocks, averaging 6.27 PPG.
He then moved on to play for three teams in the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild karla - Tindastóll (15.7 ppg and 5.0 rpg), Hamar/Selfoss (20.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg) and Þór Þorlákshöfn (23.6 ppg and 9.5 rpg) - from 2005 to 2007, with a short spell at Leicester Riders in the BBL in the middle.
After a brief spell with Celso Míguez Procolor in Spain, Aliu returned to his home city to play for the new professional franchise, Everton Tigers.
He averaged 15.8 points per game in 33 appearances for the Tigers, before leaving to play for BBC Lausanne in Switzerland. He took a year out of the sport following the birth of his daughter, but returned to the re-branded Mersey Tigers for the 2010/11 season. Aliu won the BBL Championship, BBL Trophy and BBL play-off titles, playing alongside Great Britain players Andrew Sullivan and Nate Reinking, in a very successful season.
In August 2011, Aliu signed a new two-year deal with the Tigers to keep him at the club until the end of the 2012/13 season.<ref>{{cite news |title=David Aliu signs new two-year deal with Mersey Tigers |url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/other-sports/2011/08/12/david-aliu-signs-new-two-year-deal-with-mersey-tigers-100252-29223637/ |accessdate=14 January 2020 |work=Liverpool Echo |date=7 May 2013}}</ref>
In September 2012, Aliu signed with a contract with the Manchester Giants.<ref>{{cite news |title=David Aliu signs for Manchester Giants |url=http://www.davidaliu.com/blog/david-aliu-signs-for-manchester-giants/ |accessdate=14 January 2020 |work=davidaliu.com |date=16 September 2012 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130121085837/http://www.davidaliu.com/blog/david-aliu-signs-for-manchester-giants/ |archivedate=21 January 2013}}</ref>
In June 2014, Aliu signed a two-year contract with the Cheshire Phoenix. On 20 July 2016 Aliu retired from basketball.<ref>{{cite web | last=Gains | first = Bradley| url=http://www.hoopsfix.com/2016/07/david-aliu-retires/ | title=David Aliu Retires from Professional Basketball | publisher=Hoopsfix.com | date=20 July 2016 | accessdate=26 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=David Aliu announces retirement from professional basketball |url=https://cheshirephoenix.com/2016/07/20/david-aliu-announces-retirement-from-professional-basketball/ |accessdate=14 January 2020 |work=Cheshire Phoenix |date=20 July 2016}}</ref>
== Other Notes == Aliu was the first person to score a basket at the ECHO Arena in Liverpool.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/sport/basketball/nix-add-league-legend-aliu-7215225 | title=Nix add league legend Aliu to roster | publisher=The Chester Chronicle | date=4 June 2014 | access-date=22 August 2015 | author=Powell, Dave}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://www.davidaliu.com}} * [http://www.bblfans.com/category/columns/david-aliu/ David Aliu Column on BBL Fans] * [http://gamli.kki.is/tolfraedi_ferill_leikmanns.asp?Felaganumer=164984 Úrvalsdeild statistics] at Icelandic Basketball Association * [https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/david-aliu-1.html College statistics] at Sports Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aliu, David}} Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Cheshire Phoenix players Category:English men's basketball players Category:Hamar men's basketball players Category:Leicester Riders players Category:Manchester Giants players Category:Mersey Tigers players Category:Minnesota State–Moorhead Dragons men's basketball players Category:Power forwards Category:Sportspeople from Liverpool Category:Ungmennafélagið Tindastóll men's basketball players Category:Úrvalsdeild karla (basketball) players Category:Þór Þorlákshöfn (basketball) players Category:British expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:British expatriate basketball people in Iceland Category:Black British sportsmen Category:21st-century Black British people Category:British expatriate basketball people in Spain Category:British expatriate basketball people in Switzerland Category:English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Spain Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Iceland Category:21st-century English sportsmen