Thomas Walkup is preparing for his first official appearance with Dubai Basketball as the Euroleague Basketball SuperCup begins a new stage of his career.
The 33-year-old spent five seasons with Olympiacos, establishing himself as one of the EuroLeague’s leading defensive guards. He won the 2023-24 Best Defender award and later helped Olympiacos capture the EuroLeague championship before signing a multiyear contract with Dubai this summer.
With Xavi Pascual now leading a roster featuring several high-profile additions, Walkup believes one of his primary responsibilities will be bringing structure to a team with plenty of individual talent.
“It’s going to be very important for me to put the team under control,” Walkup told Euroleague.net during media availability in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. “We have so much talent on our team, but as a guard of experience and a playmaking guard, it’s very important to have organization, to control the game, control the team, make sure that we are always in line with what our game plan is. This is a very big job that I have, and with the talent we have, I think that makes the job even bigger.”
Moving to Dubai represents a major adjustment after Walkup spent half a decade in the same environment. However, he views the changes surrounding him as an opportunity rather than something to fear.
“It’s difficult to just have so much change all at one time,” Walkup said. “It’s one thing to have a little change… But at the same time it’s an amazing opportunity. This is a fantastic opportunity to get to start something new, a new chapter, a new everything. So, I’m very grateful for that and it’s very exciting to me. I think maybe a few years ago I would be a little scared of that, but I’m very excited for this.”
Dubai ultimately hopes its revamped roster can compete for a place in the EuroLeague Final Four. The SuperCup in Abu Dhabi gives Walkup and his teammates an early opportunity to experience an environment similar to what they hope to reach later in the season.
“It would be big, just because we’re building a culture, we’re building a DNA now,” Walkup said. “This is an amazing experience. It feels a bit like a Final Four weekend. It feels exactly how it felt during the Final Four in 2025: the same arena, even all the decals, the locker room, everything. This is a great warm-up, something for a Final Four that would be here at the end of the season. This is an amazing experience, an amazing chance to gain experience. It’s not to be slept on, it’s an opportunity.”
