Dubai Basketball has parted ways with head coach Jurica Golemac in the final week of the EuroLeague regular season, ending the Slovenian’s tenure after the club’s debut campaign at Europe’s top level. The decision comes after Friday’s loss to Anadolu Efes Istanbul left Dubai’s Play-In Showdown hopes hanging by a thread.
Dubai sits 11th in the EuroLeague standings at 19-18, just outside the top 10 with one round left. To move on, the club now needs a win over Valencia Basket, a loss by FC Barcelona to FC Bayern Munich, and at least one loss by Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv in its final two games.
Golemac took over Dubai Basketball in the summer of 2024 and became the face of the project from its earliest days. He led the team through its first ABA League season and then into EuroLeague competition, where the club was entrusted to him again before earlier this season extending his contract through 2028.
That extension made the timing of the dismissal even more striking, but the club’s overall season still has two very different sides. In the ABA League, Dubai is tied atop the standings, while in Europe the margin for error has disappeared at the worst possible time.
The roster has shown enough production to keep the team competitive across competitions. Dwayne Bacon is averaging 14.6 points, Mfiondu Kabengele 12.5, and Danilo Andusic posted 15 points in his lone game, while McKinley Wright IV has added 4.6 assists per game.
Jan Sentjurc will serve as interim head coach for Monday’s ABA League game. The club has not yet announced who will lead the team for the final EuroLeague regular-season round or the next ABA League fixtures.
Golemac exits as the first head coach in Dubai Basketball history, having guided the club through its foundation and rapid rise. His departure closes the opening chapter of a project that reached the EuroLeague faster than almost anyone expected.
