NBA legend Tristan Thompson on new role at Dubai Basketball

An NBA champion, a 22-time NBA Finals game veteran and a man who spent years sharing a locker room with one of basketball’s greatest ever, LeBron James. Tristan Thompson has experienced just about everything the sport has to offer, and now he is taking on a new challenge as Global Ambassador of Dubai Basketball, helping the club build its international profile and push basketball in the UAE to new heights.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Thompson revealed what attracted him to the growing project at Dubai Basketball.

“In just three years this franchise has already achieved so much, that comes from the ownership and how dedicated they are to what they are building,” said the former Cleveland Cavaliers player.

“The trajectory Dubai Basketball is on is so exciting, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Having grown up in Toronto, basketball has always been a huge part of Thompson’s identity, at a young age he was exposed to how the Toronto Raptors helped transform the sport’s profile in his home city.

That experience is something he now sees similarities within Dubai, where the new franchise is looking to build more than just a successful team, rather trying to create a basketball culture and give the city a team it can truly call its own.

Thompson explained: “Everything we’re building here is centred around the city, in an area where perhaps football is the biggest sport it reminds me a lot of my upbringing in Toronto where Canada hockey was number one, but when the Raptors came basketball began to grow.

“I see a lot of similarities with the Raptors and Dubai Basketball, in terms of the impact it had or in this case could go on to have in the region.”

Founded in 2023, Dubai Basketball needed just two seasons to lift their first ABA League title, while the club’s debut EuroLeague campaign saw them just miss out on the play-offs as the franchise established itself among Europe’s top competition.

Now, the ambition has gone up another level, with a host of established European talent joining the roster, including EuroLeague champion Thomas Walkup and experienced stars Tornike Shengelia and Elie Okobo.

Perhaps the biggest statement of all has come on the sidelines, with Xavi Pascual taking over as head coach, the 2010 EuroLeague champion is one of the most decorated coaches in European basketball.

Thompson continued: “If you think about other clubs out there, some have been around for 20 plus years and haven’t had the same success as this Dubai team have.

“That just shows you the leadership in the front office, how they are dedicated to winning and even now they continue to put the right pieces together to be a stronger force.”

After confirming his retirement from the game just a few months ago, Thompson now begins a new journey with Dubai Basketball.

As Global Ambassador, he will help the club expand its international reach, build strategic partnerships and engage with fans as it looks to grow basketball culture in the UAE and beyond.

However, his role is more than just promoting the franchise, with the NBA champion bringing 15 years of experience at the highest level of the sport. A key member of Cleveland’s historic 2016 championship-winning team, Thompson knows what it takes to compete at the top and will be on hand to offer Dubai Basketball any advice it needs as the new season gets under way.

"We had a team dinner and I told the guys, ‘Hey use me as a sponge, I’ve won a championship, I know what it takes to win,’” said Thompson.

“The beautiful thing about the players here is that, when they were talking about what the season means to them, they all said the same thing: ‘Sacrifice and give myself to the team.’”

“That shows that the leadership has brought in high-character individuals, I think that’s how you build a true culture and I want to help them continue to grow.”

As Dubai Basketball enter a new season of the back of a historic campaign, the stakes and expectations will naturally be higher.

Having already made their mark in European basketball, the challenge now is to build on that foundation and continue raising the level both on and off the court.

Thompson, is hugely positive about what lies ahead, believing the club has the foundations to achieve something special in the years to come and when asked what he wants the franchise to be in three years’ time, his answer was clear: “A EuroLeague champion… simple as that.”