Exit Report — Dubai Basketball
Place: 11 | EuroLeague Debut Season
The Roster
Dubai Basketball entered the EuroLeague as the competition's most historically unprecedented participant: the first non-European, non-Israeli club to play at the top level of continental basketball. Founded in 2023. EuroLeague debut in 2025-26. Budget of €16 million — mid-table by EuroLeague standards, substantial by any other measure.
The roster was assembled aggressively: Dzanan Musa, McKinley Wright IV, Filip Petrusev, Mfiondu Kabengele, Dwayne Bacon, Aleksa Avramovic — a genuinely ambitious collection of talent for a club in its first year at this level. Head coach Aleksander Sekulić arrived with European experience and a clear philosophy.
Then Avramovic suffered a knee injury before the season began. Musa missed significant time with his own injury. The squad that played most of the season was not the squad that had been planned.
The Coach
Aleksander Sekulić handled the disruptions professionally. When Avramovic went down before Round 1, the team's primary perimeter creator was gone. When Musa returned after weeks away, reintegration took time. Sekulić signed mid-season reinforcements — Boogie Ellis, Bruno Caboclo, Matt Ryan — and kept the team competitive throughout.
His achievement: a debut EuroLeague season that ended at 19-19, with a winning record in February (4-0), and genuine performances against top opponents. A win over Fenerbahçe in Round 5. Competitive games against Valencia and Real Madrid. For a club managing two significant injuries in its first EuroLeague season, finishing at .500 represents genuine competence from the bench.
The System
Dubai played transition basketball — push the pace, use athletic advantages, and outscore opponents. Their offensive output was competitive. Their defensive consistency was not. The -1 point differential over 38 games tells you Dubai were essentially even in talent against the bottom half of the competition but couldn't impose themselves on the top half.
McKinley Wright IV's 15-assist performance against Efes in December captured what Dubai looked like at its best: fast, creative, and unguardable in transition. The problem was replicating that standard when the opposition scouted them properly.
The Players
Mfiondu Kabengele was Dubai's most consistent performer — a powerful center who delivered on both ends and elevated from his EuroCup season. Dwayne Bacon was the team's scoring leader for stretches before injury derailed his season. McKinley Wright IV was the engine when healthy. Filip Petrusev (11.6 Pts, PIR 15.4) gave Dubai a skilled offensive option in the post.
Dzanan Musa's return in the final stretch — late-game heroics against Monaco, buzzer-beaters that reminded the league of his ceiling — showed what Dubai looks like when fully healthy. The five-year license means they have time. This season's injuries provided the clearest lesson about what needs to change.
The Outlook
The foundation is real. The five-year license removes the urgency that destroys development. But Dubai cannot afford another season built around a roster that assumes full health — because EuroLeague seasons never deliver full health.
The first priority is depth. This season exposed Dubai as a team with six or seven legitimate contributors and almost nothing behind them. When Avramovic and Musa were unavailable simultaneously, the offense lost its two most dangerous creators. That cannot happen again. The summer needs at least one additional reliable guard — a combo player capable of creating off the dribble and shooting off the catch, someone who functions as a third option rather than an emergency starter.
The second priority is interior reinforcement. Kabengele was excellent, but Petrusev as the backup center at EuroLeague level is a limitation. A physical backup big — a player who can give Kabengele genuine rest and protect the paint without a drop-off — would transform Dubai's rotation from fragile to sustainable.
The third question is Musa himself. When healthy and motivated, he is a top-15 EuroLeague player. His contract situation and commitment level heading into year two will define the ceiling of this project. If Dubai can lock in a healthy, engaged Musa alongside a fit Avramovic and Wright running the offense, they are a Play-In team at minimum. That combination has never actually played a full season together. Year two is when that changes — or doesn't.
Keep the core. Add the depth. Stay patient. Dubai's debut was not a failure. It was proof of concept.
