Dubai Basketball sign Tornike Shengelia from Barcelona

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball has strengthened its frontcourt ahead of the 2026-27 season with the signing of Georgian international Tornike Shengelia.

The experienced power forward joins the team following a season with FC Barcelona, bringing more than a decade of EuroLeague experience to Dubai as he begins a new chapter in his career.

Shengelia arrives in Dubai after spending a standout 2025/26 campaign with FC Barcelona, where he averaged 12.4 points and 4.6 rebounds across 34 EuroLeague appearances. He featured in 40 Liga ACB games, averaging 11.2 points a game, helping Barcelona to reach the Spanish League finals.

Standing at 2.06 meters, Shengelia is regarded as one of Europe’s top-performing power forwards. Known for his physicality, versatility and leadership on and off the court, he has consistently performed at the highest level, combining an ability to score inside and out with strong rebounding and playmaking.

Shengelia brings exceptional experience and leadership to Dubai Basketball, having spent 13 seasons in the EuroLeague with five different clubs, alongside three campaigns in the EuroCup.

Before joining Barcelona, he enjoyed a successful spell with Italian side Virtus Bologna, where he helped to guide the club to the 2024/25 Italian Championship and the 2023 Italian Super Cup. Earlier in his career, he lifted the 2019/20 Spanish Championship with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and the 2020/21 VTB United League title with CSKA Moscow.

A two-time EuroCup champion, Shengelia claimed the competition with both Valencia Basket and Virtus Bologna. Throughout his EuroLeague career, he has been named MVP of the Round on nine occasions, most recently after producing a season-high PIR of 42 against Partizan.

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