Duncan Reid

Standing just over 2 metres tall, Duncan Reid is impossible to miss in a crowd. You’d think that’s the reason why he became a professional basketball player, but to call the sport his passion is an understatement. “He lives and breathes basketball,” Reid’s wife Nicole says, only half-jokingly. “I think he loves it more than he loves me.”

As Hong Kong national team captain for eight years, Reid has done the city proud. Currently the starting centre for the Bay Area Dragons in the East Asia Super League, he’s also played for South China in the Hong Kong A1 Division and the FIBA Asia Champions Cup. He was third overall in the 2017 CBA Draft by the Zhejiang Golden Bulls and represented Hong Kong at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, where he recorded the most points, rebounds, assists and blocks for his team.

It’s difficult for professional athletes to thrive in Hong Kong, but fortunately Reid has had the guidance and support of a mentor for his entire career. “Chak Man Keung, a former member of the national team, has been there for me through all the ups and downs,” he says. “I’d love to do the same for the next generation.”

While playing professionally in China, Reid says it was difficult to find a supportive network that could share words of advice. Now hoping to improve sports culture in the city where he was born and bred, he’s become increasingly avid about coaching. Together with his former teammate Nathan Yu, he founded Triple Double Basketball Academy, an elite training programme for players up to the age of 16. Not your run-of-the-mill after-school curriculum, the classes are exclusively taught by professional players to create a competitive but inspiring environment that gives students an authentic taste of the game. 

“I’ve been blessed to achieve many goals in my career,” Reid says. “I hope to do my part in building a stronger community for both male and female ballers, and cultivate a support system that encourages those who want to play professionally.”