Austin started off playing football at his young age, but after he injured his leg, that’s when he decided to try playing basketball. Ever since, Austin started playing basketball during high school. “To me, basketball’s rapid pace fascinates me most.” said Austin. He’s a big fan of the NBA.
Austin’s current active favorite player would be Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. But if we are talking about all-time favorite, Kobe Bryant would be Austin’s idol. While he was playing for the school team back in high school, he used to watch a lot of Kobe’s highlights and how he could beat every single player in the NBA.
One of Austin’s best games was during his last high school Basketball Competition where at the last minute he made three three-points consecutively while being down by points and lead his team to overtime. “Even though we lost, that is my best game because it was my heroic moment.” said Austin.
Austin is the Growth Executive at AlipayHK, third-party mobile and online payment platform by Alibaba Group. Austin’s job is about user growth, user acquisition, maintain active users, by organizing and maintaining campaigns of their e-wallet AlipayHK. Austin is also the project manager of their monthly campaigns, visual & copy checker and takes part in product development.
This is Austin’s second season with FTBL and Alibaba Group. “FTBL is a great opportunity to allow colleagues to work together and towards a goal in terms of sports, instead of just working in the office.” said Austin. He also added “Getting fit and achieving the same goals together bring us much closer.''
Austin's best game was back in season one, "The game against Calvin Angeles and FinFabrik was probably my best game. That game was tight, that was the game I had the highest points. I also made a few important last shots at the end." Austin said. Alibaba took a great win that boosted Austin to achieve the Season MVP for their group.
Through FTBL, Austin learned how to cooperate with different people. “Playing with colleagues are much different from playing with your friends.” he emphasized. In FTBL, because of the diverse background of the players, he learned how to stay humble and adapt with the team instead of playing is usual quick game. “When it comes to sports, I thought it was always about speed and power.” Austin said.
“After playing with my colleagues, I realized that you can somehow learn some wisdom from them that allowed me to grow.” said Austin. Through FTBL, Austin became closer with his colleagues from the other teams in the company. Austin was really proud of this opportunity.
“The people in FinTech is what makes FTBL special” Austin said.
In comparison with other corporate and company leagues that Austin played for, he mentioned that FTBL is quite flexible and more fun. “It's a good and safer way to experience competition, sports, sweat and friendship.” said Austin.
Q&A:
Other than your team, which team do you follow in FTBL?
AMTD Spider. They usually have a huge score difference against other teams.
Which player do you think in FTBL is the hardest to guard?
Bryant Austin. It’s obvious. Everyone can tell after playing against him.
What excites you the most in FTBL?
We all know that there are lots of Fintech companies in Hong Kong. Through FTBL, competing with each other through basketball is cool.
What moment during any games were you most proud of?
That would be the moment that I delivered good passes to my teammates. Giving good passes and let your teammates score is the best moment I think.
If you could play with another player from another team in one team, who would it be?
I think it would be Calvin Angeles from FINNOVASIA, I have a great impression on him. Actually, I prefer playing as a Shooting Guard or Small Forward. Someone like Calvin who can be the Point Guard and attack the basket would be good as a teammate.
What can you say about your coach?
We really appreciate Gary’s efforts and he always encouraged us no matter if we win or lose. We are here to have fun and bring us closer to each other. Always stick to the good attitude and goal of the game.