Liu Zili
Lau Tsz Lai (born 4 November 1990) is a Hong Kong basketball player who plays as a shooting guard for Chin Long in the Hong Kong A1 Division Championship League and for the Hong Kong national team. He is also the owner of Double 8 Bar & Restaurant.
Career
Basketball career
Lau was born in Hong Kong and attended Youth Catholic Association Wu Siu Mui Secondary School, Catholic Xinmin College, and Chung Cheng High School. As a youth, he reformed from rebellious behavior through basketball.[1] Despite a setback in Form Five, he rose from the NIKE League to the Hong Kong A1 Division by 2009, joining Fujian Basketball Team until 2012. Loaned to Chao Min in 2012–2013, he returned to Fujian and in March 2015 hit a game-winning shot with 3 seconds left to secure an 81–80 victory over On Ching in the Senior Silver Cup.[2] Between 2013 and 2015, he averaged 12.3 points per game, including a high of 28 points with eight three-pointers.
In August 2015, Lau turned down a firefighter career to join Hong Kong's first professional team, Eastern. Limited playing time and injuries initially relegated him to the bench, but in the 2016 Super Business Cup he hit a clutch three-pointer with 20 seconds left to help Eastern defeat Guangxi Weizhuang 74–71, earning a standing ovation despite an ankle injury.[3]
In the 2017 ABL season, a herniated disc threatened his career, but after encouragement he returned to help Eastern win the finals 3–1 over the Singapore Slingers—the first ABL title for a Hong Kong team. Postseason, he returned from rehab to score 18 and 23 points in the semifinals against Yunnan, but Eastern fell 2–1 in a best-of-three series.[4][5]
In 2018, Lau helped Eastern win the A1 Division finals 3–2 over South China to claim the league championship.
International career
In November 2017, Lau helped Hong Kong win the 50th Hong Kong–Macau Interport Championship in Macau, and qualified for the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers. After discussions between FIBA, the ABL, and the HKBA, his eligibility was confirmed on 25 November.
On 14 August 2018, he made seven three-pointers against Qatar at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
Business ventures
In November 2019, anticipating career end, Lau founded Thai restaurant Thai Legend in Kowloon Bay and Chiu Chow-style hotpot chain Chiu Chow Louhan in Mong Kok.[1][6] In 2021 and 2022, he opened Chinese restaurant Li Kee in Tseung Kwan O and creative Western bistro Double 8 Bar & Restaurant in Causeway Bay to take advantage of lower rents.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E5%AD%90%E7%A6%AE#cite_ref-Basketball_1-0
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E5%AD%90%E7%A6%AE#cite_ref-2
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E5%AD%90%E7%A6%AE#cite_ref-3
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E5%AD%90%E7%A6%AE#cite_ref-4
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E5%AD%90%E7%A6%AE#cite_ref-5
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E5%AD%90%E7%A6%AE#cite_ref-6
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E5%AD%90%E7%A6%AE#cite_ref-7
External links
- Lau surname
- Hong Kong businesspeople
- Shooting guards
- A1 Division players
- Hong Kong men’s basketball players
- Eastern Long Lions players
- Fujian Xunxing players
- Hong Kong national basketball team players
- ASEAN Basketball League players
- Basketball players at the 2018 Asian Games
- Youth Catholic Association Wu Siu Mui Secondary School alumni
- Catholic Xinmin College alumni
- Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education alumni
- Chao Min Basketball Team players
- Chun Yu Basketball Team players