Dubai Basketball
Basketball team in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dubai Basketball is a professional basketball club based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It currently competes in the ABA League and the EuroLeague. The club plays its home games at the Coca-Cola Arena.
| Dubai Basketball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| League | ABA League EuroLeague | ||
| Founded | 2023 | ||
| History | Dubai Basketball 2024–present | ||
| Arena | Coca-Cola Arena | ||
| Capacity | 17,000 | ||
| Location | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | ||
| President | Salem Bin Dasmal | ||
| General manager | Dejan Kamenjašević | ||
| Team manager | Nenad Banjanin | ||
| Head coach | Xavi Pascual | ||
| Team captain | Klemen Prepelič | ||
| Affiliations | Dubai Basketball Academy Vojvodina Čačak 94 | ||
| Championships | 1 ABA League | ||
| Website | dubaibasketball.com | ||
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Founded in 2023, the club entered the EuroLeague in 2025. Despite being located in UAE, it doesn't compete in the UAE National Basketball League. The club colours are brown, black and white.
History
Dubai Basketball was founded by Abdulla Saeed Juma Al Naboodah and Dejan Kamenjašević.[1][2] In January 2024, the ABA League confirmed Dubai Basketball's inclusion for a three-season term.[3][4][5][6] The club’s entry into the ABA League was part of an initiative to develop basketball in the region.[7][8] Jurica Golemac was signed as the first head coach,[9][10][11][12][13][14] while Nate Mason was the first signed player.[15] Dāvis Bertāns became the first NBA-experienced player to join the club.[16] Dubai BC announced that the 17,000 seater Coca-Cola Arena would serve as their home arena.[17]
In their first ABA game, on September 22, 2024, Dubai defeated Red Star Belgrade at home.[18] They also notably defeated Partizan, Zadar and Cedevita Olimpija, securing a place in the playoffs.[19] They were eliminated by Partizan Belgrade in the semifinals.[20] The club first competed in the European top-tier EuroLeague for the 2025–26 season, after getting a five–year license to participate.[21] For its debut season, Dubai had a player budget of €16 million.[22] In their second ABA season, Dubai Basketball made history by winning the 2025/26 title against Partizan Belgrade.[23]
Notable occurrences
- 2023: Dubai Basketball is officially founded[24]
- May 2024: ABA League confirms Dubai Basketball's participation[25]
- July 2024: Partnership established with Shabab Al Ahli Club[26]
- September 22, 2024: Dubai Basketball won debut ABA League match against KK Crvena Zvezda
- June 2025: The Euroleague confirms Dubai Basketball’s participation on a 5-year contract[4]
- June 2026: Dubai Basketball wins the 2025/26 ABA League title after defeating Partizan 3-1 in the Finals.[27]
Home venue
In summer of 2024, Dubai Basketball announced the Coca-Cola Arena as its official home venue. The arena, with a seating capacity of 15,000, hosts all home games during the EuroLeague and the ABA League seasons.[28][29]
Players
Current roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Dubai Basketball roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: September 24, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depth chart
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Bench 3 | Inactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Mfiondu Kabengele | Mamadi Diakite | Mam Jaiteh  | ||
| PF | Tornike Shengelia | Filip Petrušev | Dāvis Bertāns | Kenan Kamenjaš | |
| SF | Dwayne Bacon | Jaron Blossomgame | Justin Anderson | Nemanja Dangubić | |
| SG | Élie Okobo | Davion Mintz | Klemen Prepelič | Awudu Abass | |
| PG | McKinley Wright IV | Thomas Walkup | Kosta Kondić | Džanan Musa |
Players out on loan
| Players out on loan | |||||
| Nat. | Player | Position | Team | On loan since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Aleksa Avramović | G |  Bahçeşehir Koleji |
16 July 2026[30] | |
 |
Yannick Kraag | SF |  Joventut Badalona |
5 August 2026[31] | |
 |
Kevin Kokila | FC |  Virtus Bologna |
5 August 2026[32] | |
 |
Simonas Lukošius | GF | Unicaja Málaga |
17 August 2026[33] | |
Squad changes for/during 2026–27 season
In
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Moving from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | G |  | Élie Okobo | AS Monaco |
|
| 4 | F |  | Jaron Blossomgame | AS Monaco |
|
| 6 | SG | | Davion Mintz | Würzburg |
|
| 21 | C |  | Mamadi Diakite | Baskonia |
|
| 23 | PF |  | Tornike Shengelia | FC Barcelona |
|
| 44 | PG |  | Thomas Walkup | Olympiacos |
|
| — | SF | | Yannick Kraag | Joventut Badalona |
|
| — | F/C | | Kevin Kokila | JL Bourg |
|
| — | G/F | | Simonas Lukošius | Rytas Vilnus |  |
Out
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Moving to | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PG | | Nate Mason | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 
|
| 9 | G | | Boogie Ellis | Joventut Badalona |
|
| 22 | PG |  | Taran Armstrong | Tasmania JackJumpers |
|
| 32 | F | | Matt Ryan | Maxima Roma |
|
| 51 | C |  | Bruno Caboclo | Hapoel Tel Aviv |  |
Coaches
Jurica Golemac (2024–2026)- Aleksander Sekulić (2026)
Xavi Pascual (2026–present)
Season by season
| Season | ABA League | Pos. | W–L | European competitions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Semifinalist | 3rd | 28–8 | |||
| 2025–26 | Champions | 1st | 28–5 | 1 EuroLeague | 11th | 19–19 |