Rory McIlroy celebrates golf victory with Dubai Basketball squad

After three straight games on the road, Dubai Basketball made it a homecoming to remember as they stormed to a 91-76 victory against Slovenia’s Krka in front of an energized crowd that included Sunday’s Race to Dubai Champion Rory McIlroy.

It had been one month since Dubai Basketball fans saw their team in action at Coca-Cola Arena and the hosts produced an impressive performance to bounce back from last week’s defeat to improve their ABA League record to 7-2.

The Dubai Basketball team was welcomed home by more than 3,300 spectators that included one of the greatest golfers of all time, McIlroy, an avid basketball fan – just hours after triumphing at DP World Tour Championship and landing his sixth Race to Dubai title at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The four-time Major champion took to the court to take part in a full-court “Putt for Purpose” challenge, where he was bidding to donate Dh1 million to charity for a hole-in-one, but missed by only a few inches.

JaCorey Williams said the home support spurred his team on and cherished the opportunity of meeting McIlroy, who had brought his Race to Dubai trophy with him to Coca-Cola Arena.

“We knew it was going to be a difficult game, especially ahead of a break. It's always hard to play these types of games, when you know there's a break after the game,” Williams said.

“Rory is a very high-level player in his sport and much respect to him. We're in Dubai, so we see all kinds of people and it was good to see him though. I got to hold a trophy and I've never seen a trophy like that in real life. It was kind of cool to hold a trophy for a little bit and heavy too.”

Off the court, the entertainment didn’t stop as cheerleaders from Sharmila Dance Centre took the spotlight, dazzling the crowd with a jaw-dropping series of dance moves that had fans on their feet and cheering non-stop.

With no ABA League games scheduled next week, Dubai Basketball will next be in action when they travel to Serbia on November 29 for a game against FMP. They will return to Coca-Cola Arena on December 15 against Mornar.