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David Blatt

David Blatt is an Israeli-American basketball coach and former player who coached Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Russian national team and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

born 1959Coaching Maccabi Tel AvivRussia's EuroBasket 2007 titleFirst Israeli NBA head coach

Born: 22 May 1959, Boston
Occupation: basketball player, basketball coach, coach
Education: Framingham High School, Princeton University, Hebrew school

David Blatt was born in 1959 in Boston

Blatt was born on May 22, 1959, the son of inventor William F. Blatt and Lillian Blatt. He grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts, and attended Hebrew school until his Bar Mitzvah.

He played point guard at Princeton University under coach Pete Carril and was team captain. He graduated in 1981 with a degree in English literature.

In 1981 he won a gold medal with the U.S. team at the Maccabiah and moved to Israel. He played for clubs including Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Jerusalem and Elitzur Netanya until an Achilles tendon injury ended his career in 1993.

He coached Hapoel Galil Elyon and Maccabi Tel Aviv, and led Russia to the EuroBasket 2007 title and a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. In 2014 he won the EuroLeague with Maccabi and became head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, reaching the 2015 NBA Finals. He was fired in January 2016.

He then coached Darüşşafaka in Turkey and won the EuroCup in 2018. In 2023 he lit a torch at the Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl.