Ali Mahmoud is happy to play with family at Champions Cup
CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017) - Veteran Ali Mahmoud has seen his fair share of battles on the court, but what makes them worth it is playing with family.
CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017) - Veteran Ali Mahmoud has seen his fair share of battles on the court, but what makes them worth it is playing with family.
And for the 34-year-old Mahmoud, family can be found in Al Riyadi.
“Riyadi is Family. I was a year away from Al Riyadi, but now I’m happy to be back where I belong.”Ali Mahmoud
For most of his career in Lebanese basketball, the Canadian-born playmaker has seen action for Al Riyadi, but in the 2016-2017 season of the Lebanese Basketball League (LBL), he played for Byblos Sporting Club. He had to watch as his old team rose to win their fourth straight LBL crown, defeating Homenetmen, who were led by legend Fadi El Khatib.
Now, the 1.80m point guard is back to don the blue and gold of Al Riyadi, seeing action at the Champions Cup for the first time since 2011 but also maybe for the last time.
"The last time I played was in 2011, and I was a different player because back then as I was much younger," he explained. "“I haven’t really set a retirement date, but it depends on my body.”
Mahmoud, who idolized NBA high-flyer Vince Carter, started picking up the game of basketball back in Canada, where he was a promising talent in Ottawa. He went to Lebanon in 2003 to debut for Champville before moving to Sporting Al Riyadi the following season. He would then stick with Al Riyadi until last year.
Despite loving the fact he is back with the club that has enabled his career to bloom, Mahmoud is aware of the enormity of their task in Chenzhou. Matching last year's campaign where they entered the Final will be no mean feat, and actually winning the title will be nothing short of a minor miracle. Mahmoud knows that there are a number of other strong teams who can give his club a genuine run for their money.
“There are no easy games here in this competition," he said. "There are very strong teams.”
Still, Mahmoud will undoubtedly pull out all the stops to help his team, or, rather, his family go as far as they can.
FIBA