Tabiat to face Chinese Lions in BCL Asia debut
Iranian Basketball Super League heavyweight Tabiat is set to face its biggest test by far when getting its debut campaign at the Basketball Champions League Asia underway in Dubai today.
Mehran Shahintab’s men will square off against Chinese champion Zhejiang Lions – also a debutant at the flagship continental club competition – in their opening Group A game at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, before facing Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos of Mongolia on Monday.
One of the nine teams across the three groups will leave the United Arab Emirates after the group phase, with the other eight heading into the quarterfinals – starting Wednesday at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena.
Introduced to Iranian club basketball in 2023, Tabiat lifted the domestic top-flight trophy in its maiden campaign, earning a spot at the FIBA West Asia Super League for the following season.
Some impressive results and performances saw Tabiat progress to the WASL Final 8, before suffering a 104-77 loss to Lebanese giant and defending champion in the final showpiece in May, though the runner-up finish was still enough for the Iranian club to punch the Dubai ticket.
Tabiat, is the 11th club to represent the country across 30 editions of the tournament, with Shahrdari Gorgan the most recent Iranian contestant as it was part of the cast in 2024.
The Iranians have won a total of 10 medals in the event, including six golds which is tied for most among nations alongside Lebanon.
Iranian international guard Sina Vahedi will be desperate to lead Tabiat to a maiden Asian medal, having been part of the Shahrdari team which fell just short of a podium finish after bowing to the Hiroshima Dragons in the third-place game last year.
Another player to watch in the Tabiat roster is Croatian center Ivan Buva, who excelled in the WASL event with an average 20.9 points and 10.5 rebounds.
Not to be forgotten are the other key cogs such as fan-favorite American duo Perry Petty and Stedmon Lemon, as well as local talents Arman Zangeneh and Amir Qolizadeh.