Founded in 2023, the team entered the EuroLeague in 2025. Despite located in UAE the club doesn't compete in theUAE National Basketball League and no Emirati player has featured for the team so far.
In January 2024, the ABA League confirmed Dubai Basketball's inclusion for a three-season term starting in the 2024–25 season.[3][4]
On 19 March 2024, theABA League officially announced BC Dubai would join the league for the next three seasons, starting from 2024.[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 team's first headcoach,[9] whileNate Mason was the first officially signed player for the team.[10]Dāvis Bertāns also became the first formerNBA player to defect from that league to play for Dubai instead.[11] Later in the summer, Dubai BC announced that the 17,000 seaterCoca-Cola Arena would serve as the team's home arena.[12]
In their first ABA game, on September 22, 2024, Dubai defeatedRed Star Belgrade at home.[13] They also defeatedPartizan,Zadar andCedevita Olimpija, amongst others, in the 2024–25 season, securing a place in the playoffs.[14] They were eliminated by Partizan Belgrade in the semifinals.[15]
The team competes in the European top-tier basketball league,EuroLeague for the2025–26 season, as the team got a five–year license to participate until 2029–30 season.[16] They became the first non-Israeli team that was not based in Europe to play in the league. For its debut season, Dubai worked with a player budget of €16 million.[17]
In July 2024, Dubai Basketball announced theCoca-Cola Arena inDubai as its official home venue. The arena, with a seating capacity of 15,000, hosts all home games during the EuroLeague and ABA League seasons.[21][22]
Jurica Golemac is the club's coach.[23][24] He previously led Koper Primorska to multiple domestic trophies and later served as head coach of Cedevita Olimpija from 2020 to 2023, winning national league and cup titles.[25][26]
In 2024, Golemac became the first head coach of Dubai Basketball. In the club’s debut ABA League season, he guided the team to an impressive regular-season record and a playoff semifinal appearance.[27]
