History in the making as Dubai Basketball take on Serbia's Red Star in ABA League opener

Former NBA player Davis Bertans set to line up against reigning champions at Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday

The vision and mission that began in 2016 will come to fruition on Sunday when Dubai Basketball play host to ABA League defending champions Red Star at the Coca-Cola Arena.

The newly formed club, also known as Dubai BC, take on the Serbian outfit in a historic clash as they become the first UAE team to compete in a major European league. The ABA League is the leading professional basketball competition for teams from the former Yugoslavia and includes clubs from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, and Montenegro.

Dejan Kamenjasevic, general manager and co-founder of Dubai Basketball, was the man behind the scenes who spent almost eight years assembling a side to compete in the newly expanded 16-team competition for the next three seasons.

“This journey began a long time ago. We can say 2016 is the first time that we spoke of it, and for me, personally, that there is a huge potential here, that we can do something amazing and something unique,” he said at Tuesday's launch event.

“Sunday is our future. This game means a lot for all of us because that will be the history. I’m taking the time now to say to our guys, players and coaches that they are part of the history.

Former NBA forward Davis Bertans will play for Dubai Basketball this season. Chris Whiteoak / The National

“No one can take that away from them, that in 10, 15 or 30 years from now, they can proudly say they played the first game of the franchise and the future that we built all together.

“We know that any sports franchise needs five to seven years to build. We did it in three months. Our management, our staff, all these players who have lots of patience with us because there are so many things that they were not ready for at the time that they came.

“We have guys who have played in leagues in Europe, the NBA and the very top of the sport. To attract these players is a big achievement for the city and our club.

“We look forward to welcoming the local communities including expats and locals as their support can inspire the team. Together, as a team, we have a chance to do something big together.”

The campaign is made up of 30 regular season games, with the top eight advancing to the play-offs. Red Star swept to victory last time out when they defeated rivals Partizan Belgrade 3-0 in the finals. The two Serbian franchises are the dominant forces in the league, both winning the title a record seven times.

Former NBA player Davis Bertans headlines Dubai's BC’s roster for their inaugural season. The roster also includes players from the Philippines, United States, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Jordan, Turkey and Latvia, many of whom have had extensive playing careers in Europe and the US.

“We are a young team but we have great ambitions so it was not a tough decision to come and be part of something that is important, to be part of history,” Jurica Golemac, the head coach, said.

“This team, like the city of Dubai, wants to grow every day, every week, every month. So, on us, coaching staff and players, we just need to show up every day and do better.

“We need to bond with the city of Dubai and with the fans. We want them to enjoy every game and support us as we are fighting for the name of Dubai as much as we can.”

To help prepare for their debut season, Dubai BC held a training camp in Slovenia where they played four friendlies. Last week, they won both home friendly games against ABA League rivals KK FMP and Russian team BC Nizhny Novgorod and competed in a preseason tournament in Bosnia ahead of their league opener on Sunday.

Klemen Prepelic, the captain, said it was a huge honour and privilege for him to lead Dubai BC in a historic event, “but at the same time, it’s also a big job and a huge responsibility. We have a very talented group of players and are really looking forward to perform as best we can.”

General manager and co-founder of Dubai Basketball Dejan Kamenjasevic. Chris Whiteoak / The National