Thomas Walkup has ended a lengthy summer saga by joining Dubai Basketball, with the club announcing Monday that it reached an agreement with Olympiacos to complete the transfer of the veteran guard.
Dubai Basketball thanked Olympiacos for its cooperation in completing the move and described Walkup as a player who brings “significant experience, leadership and winning mentality” after several successful years with the Greek powerhouse.
“Thomas is a very important signing for Dubai Basketball and another step forward in the direction we want to take as a club,” Dubai Basketball president Dejan Kamenjasevic said. “His understanding of the game, competitiveness and ability to make the players around him better will be extremely valuable for our team.”
The agreement brings an end to a complicated situation involving Walkup and Olympiacos. The guard had not participated in Olympiacos’ preseason preparations and had formally requested to be released from his contract immediately and without cause.
Olympiacos subsequently began disciplinary proceedings against Walkup, leaving the two sides at an impasse while his contractual status was being examined. EuroLeague also launched disciplinary proceedings against Dubai Basketball following previous comments by Kamenjasevic acknowledging the club’s interest in Walkup.
EuroLeague officials had been collecting additional information about Walkup’s contract with Olympiacos. The situation also raised questions about whether a new club could secure his FIBA letter of clearance while the dispute remained unresolved.
Those issues now appear to have been addressed through the agreement between Dubai and Olympiacos, allowing Walkup to begin the next chapter of his career with the EuroLeague’s newest club.
Walkup spent the previous five seasons with Olympiacos after joining the club in 2021. His best statistical season came in 2025-26, when he averaged 4.5 points and 7.3 assists in 16 Greek League appearances, while shooting 40.6% from three-point range.
The 33-year-old also has extensive EuroLeague experience from his earlier stint with Zalgiris Kaunas. He averaged 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 2018-19 before posting 7.1 points and 4.1 assists in 2019-20 and 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 2020-21.
His European career began with Ludwigsburg in 2017-18, when he averaged 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 33 games. Before moving overseas, Walkup played four seasons at Stephen F. Austin, finishing his college career with 18.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in 2015-16.
Dubai is coming off a 19-19 EuroLeague regular season in its first campaign in the competition, finishing 11th. The club has made several significant changes for its second season, including hiring head coach Xavi Pascual and adding players such as Elie Okobo, Davion Mintz and Tornike Shengelia.
