Top 10 Interesting Facts about David Blatt

David Blatt as Cavs coach. Photo by Erik Drost. Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Interesting Facts about David Blatt

David Michael Blatt was on born May 22, 1959. He is a professional basketball executive who is Israeli-American. He is also a former player and coach.

Blatt was a point guard at Princeton University from 1977 to 1981, and he was a member of the United States national team that won a gold medal at the Maccabiah Games in 1981. He then went on to play professional basketball in Israel for nine of the next twelve years, until an injury ended his playing career, and he began coaching full-time.

1. Blatt was born in Boston

Skyline of Boston. Photo by Nelson48. Wikimedia Commons

Blatt was born in Boston and raised in Framingham, Massachusetts. He attended a Reform Temple as a child, and he attended Hebrew school twice a week until his Bar Mitzvah. In Israel, he says he became “much more Jewish and much more Zionist.” 

Blatt was the class president and a basketball player at Framingham South High School.

2. He served in the Israel Defense Forces

Badge of the Israeli Defense Forces. Photo by Matan2001. Wikimedia Commons

He moved to Israel in 1981 and served in the Israel Defense Forces on the Schneller military base. In 1991, Blatt married Kinneret from Netanya, Israel, whom he coached on an Israeli professional basketball team.

They have four children: twin daughters Shani and Adi (both of whom have served in the Israeli army), his youngest daughter Ela, and son Tamir Blatt (born in 1997; in 2014 he was the starting point guard on the Israeli junior national basketball team, and has played for Hapoel Tel Aviv, Hapoel Holon and Hapoel Jerusalem)

3. Blatt’s Israeli and Russian teams won championships

Blatt returned to his home country after four seasons of success with the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team in Israel. His teams won six Israeli Cup titles and five Israeli League titles. Under Blatt’s leadership, the team went 225-55 overall.

Blatt led the Russian national basketball team to its first medal (bronze) since the fall of the Soviet Union at the 2012 London Olympics. At the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) European Championship in Madrid in 2007, his Russian national team defeated defending world champions Spain.

4. He has the ability to manage player personalities

Blatt’s former players laud their coach’s relationship with his athletes. Blatt’s ability to bring out the best in his players was complemented by Jeremy Pargo, who played for Blatt’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2010-11 season, and Russia’s Andrei Kirilenko, who was a member of the 2007 championship team. Blatt understands players’ emotions and different attitudes, and he knows how to combine them all. Those are the ingredients required to be a successful NBA coach.

He gives everyone the impression that he is very important and that the team’s success is dependent on each individual. This actually boosts players’ confidence.

5. Blatt won a gold medal with the USA National Team in 1981

Isolated gold medal with ribbon. Photo by stockcam. Unsplash

From 1977 to 1981, the Israeli-American grew up near Boston, Massachusetts, and attended Princeton University under Basketball Hall of Fame coach Pete Carrill. During his senior year, he participated in the Maccabiah Games, also known as the “Jewish Olympics,” which are held in Israel to introduce Jewish athletes from around the world to the country and its culture. Blatt won a gold medal with the USA national basketball team.

He stayed in Israel to play in the Super League, where he spent his entire professional career, from 1981 to 1993.

6. He’s the first European head coach to join the NBA

Basketball ball on the center field. Photo by FilippoBacci. Unsplash

Blatt, 55, will be the first NBA head coach to come from the European leagues. After his contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv expired in June, he left the team to pursue a career in the NBA. Blatt also had offers from the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN.

7. Blatt resigned on medical grounds

Blatt stepped down as head coach of the Greek Olympiacos. He revealed that he had multiple sclerosis and was unable to continue with the rigors of coaching, a lifestyle that required constant movement and travel. MS, or multiple sclerosis, is a disease in which a person’s immune system misidentifies their own body as a foreign substance and begins to destroy it.

MS patients frequently experience muscle stiffness, making it difficult to move. Many people end up in wheelchairs. It is a degenerative disease, which means that patients deteriorate over time. There are treatments to slow it down, but no cure yet.

8. Blatt’s son is a professional basketball player

Meanwhile, the father of four has stayed close to his favorite sport. Since leaving his most recent coaching position, he has been enjoying watching his son Tamir play professional basketball in Israel, where he is a starter for the national team. 

9. His net worth is estimated to be $9 million

Dollars. Photo by Giorgio Trovato. Unsplash

David Blatt is a wealthy basketball coach who is also one of the most popular. According to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, David Blatt’s net worth is around $9 million.

10. Blatt was fired by the Cavalier

David Blatt. Photo by Erik Drost. Wikimedia Commons

During the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Blatt attempted to call a timeout when the Cavs were out. This would have resulted in a technical foul for the Cavaliers, but the referees missed the attempted timeout, and the Cavaliers won the game, tying the series 2-2 and eventually winning the series. The Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference title in Blatt’s first season, their first since 2007. 

 While other rookie head coaches have reached the NBA Finals, Blatt and Golden State Warriors rival coach Steve Kerr were the first pair of rookie NBA coaches to face off in the NBA Finals since the league’s inception in 1947.  In the Finals, the Cavaliers were defeated 4-2 by the Warriors.

Blatt was fired by the Cavaliers on January 22, 2016.  Despite the fact that the team had the best record in their conference (30-11), general manager David Griffin stated that the decision was made due to “a lack of fits with our personnel and our vision.” Blatt was replaced as head coach by Tyronn Lue, who led the Cavaliers to their first NBA title that season.