Following a professional career that has spanned 12 years, seen him win all of British basketball's domestic trophies and become one of the most recognisable faces in the UK game, Cheshire Phoenix power forward has announced his retirement, the Chronicle can reveal.
The 35-year-old has decided to call time on a glittering career in order to spend more time with his young family and on continuing the rapid growth of the start-up events company founded by himself and his partner 12 months ago.
Liverpool-born Aliu's career has seen him play college basketball at NCAA Division One level in America at Morehead State University, play abroad in countries including Iceland, Switzerland and Spain and take in spells with a number of the BBL's top sides.
Despite declaring himself fully fit and able to cope with the rigours of another season in the BBL, Aliu, who surpassed the 3,000 career points scored mark in the BBL Championship during last month, believes that now is the right time to step away from the game he loves and start a new chapter in his life away from the basketball court.
"It's not a decision I've taken lightly and I've been going back and forth on it for some time and have spoken with my family about what is the right thing to do and I think now is the right time to retire," said Aliu, who is a father to two young daughters.
"I could have played another year but playing professionally takes its toll with all the travel and I wanted to be able to spend some real quality time with my partner and my kids. That's something that I've never really been able to do properly for much of the year and something that means far more to me than anything else.
"Myself and my partner have also started up a business in the last 12 months which has taken off massively and now is the time for me to concentrate all my energy on growing and developing that."
Following his college career in America, Aliu began his professional odyssey with the Glasgow Rocks (formely Scottish Rocks) in 2004 before heading to Iceland for two seasons.
A brief spell at Leicester Riders followed as did a stint in Spain with Celso Miguez before he headed back to his roots and joined Everton Tigers in 2007.
He spent the following year in Swiss basketball with Lausanne before returning to Merseyside and the re-branded Mersey Tigers for what would be his most successful spell on the court.
While with the now-defunct Tigers, who played their home games at the ECHO Arena, Aliu was a star on the court and led the club to success in the BBL Championship, BBL Trophy and BBL Play-Offs alongside Great Britain players including Nate Reinking and Drew Sullivan.
"That time was probably the most special of my career," said Aliu.
"After seeing a lot of the world playing basketball to come back to my roots and my home town was amazing. Family, like my late Nan who had never seen me play, were able to come and watch me and see what I was all about and see me succeed on the court. It was a proud time for me as a player and one that I'll always remember."
After leaving the Tigers in 2012 Aliu spent two season's with the Manchester Giants, leading the BBL in scoring in 2013/14, before joining Cheshire in the summer of 2014 under the stewardship of then head coach John Coffino.
Aliu captained the side for their final season at the Northgate Arena and also their first season at the Cheshire Oaks Arena in Ellesmere Port and endeared himself to the fans with his all action displays, forging a strong bond with the Phoenix faithful.
"I'll really miss that aspect of it all," said Aliu.
"The Phoenix fans were superb but wherever I have gone the fans have always been great to me.
"Home fans or away fans, I've always felt that love and support and it has always meant so much to me. I'd like to think that I've carried myself well in this sport. I always tried to stay humble, not be arrogant and lead by example. I think fans appreciate that."
And what of the future for Aliu?
His growing business, Sparky People, has taken off in it's first year and looks set, along with parenthood, to keep him more than busy.
But Aliu admits that this is a step into the unknown, but one that had to come at some stage.
"I really don't know how to feel," he said.
"Basketball is all I have ever know since I was 15 years old. I grew up in Liverpool and managed to make it round the world, get an education in America and play the sport professionally for all this time.
"There have been so many people down the years, who know who they are, who have helped me get to where I am and never asked for anything in return. But I have sacrificed a lot and had to be committed to the cause to make it all work.
"In a few months time I might try and stay involved with the game in some capacity. I like helping out the kids so I might try and do a bit of that. But for now I've got plenty to keep me busy and I'm looking forward to seeing what this new chapter of my life brings. It's an exciting time for me but I'll miss basketball, it's been my life for so long."
