Davis Bertans playing for the Dallas Mavericks against the Golden State Warriors during the 2022 NBA Western Conference Finals. USA Today
Davis Bertans playing for the Dallas Mavericks against the Golden State Warriors during the 2022 NBA Western Conference Finals. USA Today
Davis Bertans playing for the Dallas Mavericks against the Golden State Warriors during the 2022 NBA Western Conference Finals. USA Today
Davis Bertans playing for the Dallas Mavericks against the Golden State Warriors during the 2022 NBA Western Conference Finals. USA Today

Sport

Dubai Basketball complete roster for inaugural season with former NBA player Davis Bertans

Latvian forward joins newly formed team ahead of the 2024/25 ABA League, which begins next week

The National

September 11, 2024

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Dubai Basketball have completed their roster with the signing of former NBA player Davis Bertans as the team prepare for their inaugural season in Europe's ABA League.

Latvia's Bertans entered the NBA in the 2011 draft when he was signed by the Indiana Pacers but was immediately traded to the San Antonio Spurs and returned to Europe. His NBA career also took him to the Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder, and he last played for the Charlotte Hornets during the 2023/24 season.

The 31-year-old forward's arrival completes the line-up for Dubai, who will become the first UAE team to compete in a major European league when the new season begins next week. The ABA League is a top-tier professional basketball competition that features teams from the former Yugoslavia. The 2024/25 season has been expanded to 16 teams and comprises clubs from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

Dubai open their campaign at Coca-Cola Arena on September 22 against reigning champions Red Star of Belgrade, who won both the regular league and finals last season.

The signing of Bertans adds further to Dubai's multi-national squad, which features 12 players from nine countries; three Serbians, two Americans, and one each from Latvia, Italy, Turkey, the Philippines, Croatia, Jordan, and Slovenia – the nation of captain Klemen Prepelic.

“It’s a great feeling to join Dubai Basketball in their first-ever season," Bertans said. "The roster that has been put together is very competitive and it’s a club that has great ambitions for the future. It’s a new challenge for me but one that I’m really excited about and can’t wait to play in front of our fans later this month.”

In addition to his NBA experience, Bertans brings with him plenty of success from his time in European basketball. The forward won three Serbian league titles, one Serbian Cup, three Slovenian Cups, and the 2013 ABA League before starting his NBA career in 2016 with the Spurs.

Dubai Basketball are preparing for their first season in the ABA League. Photo: Dubai Basketball
Dubai Basketball are preparing for their first season in the ABA League. Photo: Dubai Basketball

“Davis Bertans clearly brings exceptional basketball talent to the table as an eight-season NBA player with substantial European experience," Dubai head coach Jurica Golemac said. "His arrival underscores the commitment and ambition of our project while also greatly enhancing the credibility of our newly established franchise.”

On the team's preparations for the season, Golemac added: “We have had a very positive pre-season campaign to date, and even though the squad has only been together a short time I have been impressed with how quickly they have gelled and become a team with real talent and potential.

“We now cannot wait to run out in front of our home fans at Coca-Cola Arena on September 22. Facing the reigning champions is an incredible start for us - but with the support of a packed Arena we will put in a performance everyone can be proud of.”

Tickets to watch Dubai's season-opener are available from the Coca-Cola Arena website with prices starting from Dh75. Season passes can also be purchased, starting at Dh1,750 which includes reserved seating for all 15 regular season home games.

THE BIO

Favourite author - Paulo Coelho 

Favourite holiday destination - Cuba 

New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field

Role model - My Grandfather 

Dream interviewee - Che Guevara

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea
More coverage from the Future Forum
The biog

Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

Dubai World Cup factbox

Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)

Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)

Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)

Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)

Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate 

Unresolved crisis

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.

Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6

Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge

A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

While you're here
The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

Uefa Nations League: How it works

The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.

Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.

PRO BASH

Thursday’s fixtures

6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors

10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters

Teams

Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.

Squad rules

All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.

Tournament rules

The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.

Updated: September 12, 2024, 5:30 AM
Basketball