Dubai Basketball Is Building Something Europe Can’t Ignore

Last Sunday, Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena bellowed with trumpets and drums. A rhythmic melody that raised the atmosphere of the basketball game at hand. Dubai Basketball were hosting Igokea m:tel, a Bosnian team and founding member of the Adriatic Basketball Association, resulting in their 15th consecutive win in the competition. 

It was a dominant showing for Dubai Basketball, controlling the game early on and steadily increasing the lead. This newly raised team is a grand project born from ambition, not over generations of legacy. By contrast, Igokea are a moderately stable team, whose history stems from incredibly humble beginnings, having been founded in a small village in the town of Aleksandrovac. With the win, Dubai Basketball lead the way in group A, further solidifying their spot in the eventual top 8.

Belgrade Reality Check

In their last EuroLeague tie, Dubai Basketball faced the legendary and much more experienced Crvena Zvezda at the imposing Belgrade arena. The fans sang harmoniously, spurring on their team, encouraging Zvezda to capitalise early on. They led 34-11 in the first quarter, committing Dubai to an uphill battle through the game. In the end, points-wise, it ended as a tight affair despite Zvezda’s dominance – a long-range three from Mfiondu Kabengele at the end of the game made the score look closer than reality. 

This loss keeps Dubai out of the EuroLeague top 10, which qualify for the later stages of the competition. Regardless of their ABA League form, the team have a long way to go to be a dominant force within the EuroLeague. Dubai Basketball’s addition to the ABA League and EuroLeague doesn’t come without question. 

So, what is Dubai Basketball – and how did the team find its way to the heights of European Basketball?

A Vision Set in Motion

The story stretches back to 2014, when the European Basketball veteran Dejan Kamenjasevic moved to Dubai to launch a Basketball academy – the Prestige Star Sports Academy. The Serbian has coached the likes of FC Barcelona and Baskonia, and opted to take his expertise to Dubai to establish a new venture. In 2016, Dejan publicly vowed to land a Dubai team in the Euro League to a lukewarm reception from the media. However, the building of the Coca-Cola Arena in 2019 hinted at this dream becoming a reality. The 17,000-seat state-of-the-art venue is an enticing place for a home team. Despite COVID stalling the plans, Dejan partnered with Emirati entrepreneur Abdulla Al Naboodah to see this dream come to fruition.

In 2023, Dubai Basketball was officially announced as a team, empowered by investment from the Al Naboodah Group, filing its application for the ABA and Euro Leagues. 

With Dejan leading as the General Manager of the team, Dubai Basketball embarked on an evolution to get the team, culture, and foundations up to scratch. The following year, the Adriatic (ABA) League granted Dubai a three-year license starting from the 2024/2025 season. To begin, the team brought in the likes of Slovenian coach Juric Golemac, former NBA player Dāvis Bertāns, and experienced Euro League players like Nate Mason. The side was captained by Klemen Prepelić – a veteran who has previously played for other newly founded teams, including Levallois Metropolitans in Paris and Cedevita Olimpija. 

The roster built to begin Dubai Basketball’s venture was relatively humble, a salary budget of 4 million euros, and yet their efforts as a well-coached team full of experienced players led them to impressive first-year victories against Red Star, Zadar, Partizan, and Cedevita Olimpija.

Lessons From the Play-offs

After finishing Top 4 in 24/25 of the ABA League, Dubai Basketball progressed to the semi-finals of the playoffs, where they’d face Paritzan, the team with the most ABA League titles, in a best-of-three series. Another contrast evident in Dubai’s youthfulness as a team can be seen in Partizan, lacking the identity and culture of a Serbian support, as the team is still in its infancy stages as they try to build its own identity. Dubai fell short against Crno-beli (The Black Whites), who went on to win their 8th Championship. In all, Dubai Basketball’s first season was a successful entry to the league. However, this season, with the announcement of their admission to the EuroLeague in a June 2025 press conference, they challenge the European elite as a wildcard entry licensed for 5 years. Thus becoming the first non-European addition to the EuroLeague in 24 years.

The decision came months after the 2025 EuroLeague Final Four playoff games were played in Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, which led to them winning Sports Business 2025 Bronze Award for Innovation. Their first game in the EuroLeague saw Dubai face off against Partizan, again, where, this time, they were victorious. This win highlights the rapid evolution of the team.

Expansion, Scepticism, and the Bigger Picture

Dubai Basketball joins the EuroLeague at a time when the competition is expanding. The expansion is a reaction to the uncertainty of European Basketball moving forward, with the NBA’s ambitions of creating an NBA Europe looming, and expanding the market to include other rising basketball regions, like the Middle East. The league expanded to include 20 teams this season, including 3-year wildcards for Crvena Zvezda, Partizan, Virtus Bologna, and Valencia, to solidify the competition’s future standing. Fans of the EuroLeague have questioned the presence of Dubai Basketball, pointing to the affluence of its investors, the lack of legacy that empowers the team, and the expansive sporting projects the region has been undertaking in recent years. Nevertheless, the process to get to this point is a compound of many ideas. A growing passion for the sport, a new market for these leagues, and a commendable sporting performance.

“Last season, our budget was only four million euros, and we were at the top. We are the only team that publicly shares the season budget, which is within the financial regulations of the EuroLeague,” stated General Manager Dejan Kamenjasevic, when questioned about Dubai’s financial access on the Euro Insiders podcast. For this season, the budget increased to rival a standard in the EuroLeague. €16 million has been spent, which makes Dubai Basketball’s wage budget the 11th biggest in EuroLeague.

The team runs by the EuroLeague Bylaws and Competitive Balance Standards to ensure every participating team is given a fair chance. Hence, it is much more about ability as opposed to obscene amounts of money. “Dubai is always linked with infinite money and crazy sums. It’s not the money creating a vision; it’s vision creating the money” Kamenjasevic concluded.

Growing the Game Locally

The vision of Dubai Basketball isn’t one of gross expenditure, seeking to dominate leagues, but a genuine and mutual endeavour to expand basketball within the region. Basketball participation in the UAE has climbed 60% and 54% in the Middle East since 2022, according to NBA Data. Their Emirates Cup, the Abu Dhabi Games, and even opening a Basketball School in Dubai show the NBA’s commitment to expanding in the region, too.

Speaking at the World Sport Summit hosted in Dubai last month, CEO Abdulla Al Naboodah joined a panel featuring EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas, ASVEL Lyon owner and former NBA and EuroLeague star Tony Parker, FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa and WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike to discuss the league’s growth, fan engagement, and the evolution of the game within expanded markets. Al Naboodah highlighted the vast amount of Basketball academies, over 177, in Dubai alone, with tens of thousands of kids playing the game.

With the advent of a new challenger in the EuroLeague, the ever-growing relationship with building communities of Basketball in Dubai, and youth learning the game from a spread of different levels, Dubai Basketball’s identity will build alongside that genuine interest. Regardless of what European basketball fans think of the endeavour, those who are subscribed to the game and have seen what Dubai Basketball is building acknowledge that – hate it or love it, there is something there.

Dubai Basketball have two more EuroLeague ties this week, both at the Coca-Cola Arena, where they’ll face two more prestigious teams in Olympiakos on Tuesday and Real Madrid on Thursday. Tickets can be purchased here