By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The intentions for a team based in Dubai to play in a European competition received additional confirmation from the AdmiralBet ABA League sports director, Milija Vojinovic.
“Dubai wants to play in the ABA League,” he told Serbian outlet Mozzart Sport, following a recent report from Spanish outlet Encestando, “We have already talked. We have made some agreements. We will continue to talk.”
Euroleague Basketball has publicly shared details on discussions regarding an expansion to the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. Apart from directly entering a new team into the league, holding a Final Four in Dubai has been another topic of the meetings. The ABA League now emerges as a potential stop, possibly before entering Europe’s premier club continental competition.
ABA is a private regional league featuring clubs from various countries of former Yugoslavia, including Serbia, Slovenia, and Croatia. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia are represented as well. In the past, teams from Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, and Israel have also participated with wild card invitations. Hungary’s Szolnoki Olaj was the last team outside former Yugoslavia back in the 2014-15 season.
The inaugural season was held in 2001-02. The most championships have been won by Belgrade giants Partizan and Crvena Zvezda with seven and six, respectively. FMP, Cibona, Buducnost VOLI, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hemofarm, and Union Olimpija are the remaining former champions. Adding to the pyramid of the regional league in 2017, a second-tier division was created implementing a promotion/relegation system.
Photo Credit: ABA-Liga.com