David Michael Blatt ( he, דוד מיכאל בלאט; born May 22, 1959), is an
Israeli-American
, native_name_lang =
, image =
, caption =
, population = 110,000–150,000
, popplace = New York metropolitan area, Los Angeles metropolitan area, Miami metropolitan area, and other large metropolitan are ...
professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
executive. He is also a former coach and player.
Blatt played
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
from 1977 to 1981 and played in the
Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games; he, משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics"), first held in 1932, are an international Jewish and Israeli multi-sp ...
for the U.S. national team that won a gold medal in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
. He then played professional basketball in Israel for nine of the next twelve years, before an injury ended his playing career, and he began coaching full-time.
He is one of the most successful Israeli-American coaches in European basketball history. As a coach, Blatt has been the
Israeli Super League
The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...
Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award.
Some of the ...
four times (1996, 2002, 2011, and 2014), the
Russian Super League
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award.
Some of the ...
(2005), and the
EuroLeague Coach of the Year (2014). Blatt took over as
Cleveland's head coach, and led the team to the
2015 NBA Finals
The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014–15 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference
champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Eastern Confe ...
in his first season. He guided them to the top of their conference the next year, but was fired mid-season, and subsequently returned to coaching in Europe.
Biography
Blatt was born in Boston, grew up in
Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popu ...
, and is
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
.
As a boy, he went to a
Reform Temple, and until his
Bar Mitzvah he attended
Hebrew school
Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning their Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Hebr ...
twice a week.
He says that in Israel he became "much more Jewish and much more
Zionist
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
."
In his sophomore year at
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
, a coach for an Israeli
kibbutz
A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
team recruited him to play in Israel for the summer.
The summer at
Kibbutz
A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
Gan Shmuel
Gan Shmuel ( he, גַּן שְׁמוּאֵל, ''lit.'' Shmuel's Garden) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in Haifa District, east of Hadera, it falls under the jurisdiction of Menashe Regional Council. In it had a population of . The kibbu ...
turned out to be a life-changing experience.
Blatt graduated from Princeton in 1981 with a B.A. in English literature, completing his senior thesis on
Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud (April 26, 1914 – March 18, 1986) was an American novelist and short story writer. Along with Saul Bellow, Joseph Heller, and Philip Roth, he was one of the best known American Jewish authors of the 20th century. His baseba ...
, author of ''
The Natural
''The Natural'' is a 1952 novel about baseball by Bernard Malamud, and is his debut novel. The story follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked after being shot by a woman whose motivation remains mysterious. The story mos ...
''.
In 1981 he
immigrated to Israel, and served in the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
on the
Schneller military base.
In 1991 Blatt married Kinneret, from
Netanya
Netanya (also known as Natanya, he, נְתַנְיָה) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between Poleg stream and Wingate I ...
, Israel; she had played on an Israeli professional basketball team that he coached.
They have four children: twin daughters Shani and Adi (who have served in the Israeli army), daughter Ela (his youngest child), and son
Tamir Blatt
Tamir Blatt ( he, תמיר בלאט; born May 4, 1997) is an Israeli professional basketball player for Alba Berlin of the German Basketball Bundesliga. He is the son of former basketball player and coach David Blatt. In 2020-21 he led the Israel ...
(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).
Playing career
Blatt played basketball at
Framingham South High School, where he was also class president.
A
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
, Blatt played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
from 1977 to 1981 under coach
Pete Carril
Peter Joseph Carril (July 10, 1930 – August 15, 2022) was an American basketball coach. He is best known as head coach of Princeton University for 30 years and for his use of the "Princeton offense". He also coached at Lehigh University an ...
with the
Princeton Tigers
The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 35 varsity teams in 20 sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, three in women's lacrosse, six in m ...
, where he was team captain.
He also participated in the
Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games; he, משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics"), first held in 1932, are an international Jewish and Israeli multi-sp ...
as part of the USA national team that won a gold medal in the
1981 Maccabiah Games
The 11th Maccabiah Games brought 3,450 athletes to Israel from 35 nations. The Opening Ceremony was held on July 7, 1981, before a crowd of 53,000 and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Ramat Gan Stadium, with 3,500 Jewish athletes parading ...
.
After competing in the Maccabiah, Blatt began to play professional basketball in Israel's
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
, and played 9 of the next 12 years in Israel before an injury ended his playing career and he started coaching full-time.
Coaching career
After retiring from basketball as a player, Blatt became assistant manager for
Hapoel Galil Elyon
Hapoel Galil Elyon ( he, הפועל גליל עליון), also known as Hapoel Nofar Energy Galil Elion for sponsorship reasons, is an Israeli basketball club. The team competes in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top tier of Israeli b ...
, coaching them for the 1993–94 season. In the middle of the season, the head coach was fired and Blatt took his place. The following year, he became
Pini Gershon
Pinhas "Pini" Gershon ( he, פנחס "פיני" גרשון, born 13 November 1951), is an Israeli former professional basketball player and coach. He won three top-level European-wide club championships as the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv. He wo ...
's assistant for the 1994–95 season. The next year, he won the title of Israeli
Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award.
Some of the ...
for 1996. In 1997, he continued coaching Hapoel Galil Elyon, while also becoming the assistant coach of the
Israeli national team. For six years, he coached
Russian national basketball team
The Russia men's national basketball team (russian: национа́льная сбо́рная Росси́и по баскетболу, natsionalnaya sbornaya rossii po basketbolu) represents Russia in international basketball competition. Th ...
, winning the
EuroBasket 2007
The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to th ...
.
Blatt returned to coach Galil Elyon, and remained assistant manager of the Israeli National Team for the next two years (1997–99). During his time in Galil Elyon Blatt notoriously assisted Pini Gershon, then head coach of
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...
, by relaying directions laid out during live broadcasts on national television of time outs of their rivals in the Israeli league finals series games.
European leagues and national head coach
For the 1999–2000 season, he moved to Maccabi Tel Aviv, and once again served as assistant manager to Pini Gershon. During that season, his team took part in the
Israeli League and
Israeli Cup (winning both), and also in the
EuroLeague, where Maccabi finished in 2nd place.
In the years between 2000 and 2004, he continued as assistant coach under Pini Gershon and actively recruited foreign players such as
Anthony Parker (in 2000) and
Maceo Baston
Maceo Demond Baston (born May 29, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball, University of Michigan. At a playing height of , and a playing weight of , he p ...
to the team. During those four years, Maccabi won one EuroLeague title, reached the
EuroLeague Final Four
The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, f ...
(2001–02 season), and reached the final stage of the
Adriatic League
The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
. Maccabi won the
SuproLeague title in 2001 in Paris. Blatt was still working as assistant coach of the Israeli National Team in 2002, when he won the title of Israeli "
Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award.
Some of the ...
" for the second time, the year he was appointed head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Despite two years as head coach with all possible domestic titles and one EuroLeague Final Four appearance, for the 2003–04 season, he agreed to be demoted to assistant coach once again when Pini Gershon came back to the head coach position. Together they led one of the best teams in Maccabi Tel Aviv history, and the history of European basketball, to another EuroLeague title with a 44-point win in the final, as well as to the Israeli Championship and the Israeli Cup.
In 2004, he moved to Russia and signed on as head coach with
Dynamo Saint Petersburg. During that year, he won the
FIBA EuroCup
FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier level transnational men's professional continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run ...
championship with Dynamo and also the title of
"Coach of the Year in Russia" (2004–05 season).
For the 2005–06 season, he signed on as head coach of the
Israeli national team, but his appointment fell through due to the lack of a formal coaching certificate. He left Israel to become head coach of
Benetton Treviso of the
Italian league
The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the Tr ...
, and subsequently led them to the Italian Championship with a 3–1 victory in the final series of the Italian playoffs. In the same year, he was also appointed the head coach of the
Russian national basketball team
The Russia men's national basketball team (russian: национа́льная сбо́рная Росси́и по баскетболу, natsionalnaya sbornaya rossii po basketbolu) represents Russia in international basketball competition. Th ...
.
At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, Blatt was appointed as a head coach of the Istanbul-based
Turkish Super League
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
team
Efes Pilsen. However, on April 6, 2008, he parted ways with the team, due to poor results over the season. Blatt also coached the Russian national basketball team, with which he won the
EuroBasket 2007
The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to th ...
in a final game against the
reigning world champions and home team of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, by a score of 60–59.
In 2008, with
Ettore Messina
Ettore Messina (born 30 September 1959) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is the head coach of Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He has won four EuroLeague championships as a head coach. Messina is regarded a ...
announcing that he would leave
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...
, Blatt was considered to be the favorite to replace him, but Messina eventually stayed on as CSKA's coach and Blatt agreed to the offer to become the head coach of
Dynamo Moscow
MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...
instead. Although under contract for two seasons, he parted ways with the team, after requesting that from the team in order to pursue his career elsewhere. In early 2010, Blatt served a stint as the head coach of the
Greek League club
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
, before moving on to coach
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...
once again.
Blatt led the Russian national team to a bronze medal during the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
.
In 2014, Blatt led Maccabi Tel Aviv to one of the greatest comebacks against CSKA Moscow in the EuroLeague semifinal game, proceeding to win the championship after beating
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
in overtime. In June, after his contract ended, Blatt officially parted ways with the club in order to seek an
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
coaching position. Over six seasons as Maccabi head coach, he compiled a 179–21 (.895) record in the Israeli League, and a record of 90–52 (.634) in the EuroLeague, for an overall record of 269–73 combined (.787). In 9 seasons, his career coaching record in the EuroLeague with Maccabi, Treviso, and Efes was 121–81 (.599).
NBA
On June 20, 2014, Blatt was hired as head coach of the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
. Following his signing with the Cavaliers, Blatt was named the
EuroLeague Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award.
Some of the ...
.
On April 1, 2015, Blatt earned his first
Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award.
The Cavaliers led the Eastern Conference in March in points-per-game (107.0), points-per-game differential (9.1), field goal percentage (.469), three-point field goal percentage (.399) and three-pointers made per game (12.3). The Cavaliers were also 5–0 at home and tied for the most road wins in the East at 6–4. The month also saw the Cavaliers extend their winning streak at Quicken Loans Arena to 16 games (January 19 – March 29), which tied for the third-longest home streak in franchise history. Over the season, the Cavaliers led the Central Division with a 53–29 record, and Blatt's lifetime .639 winning percentage after the 2014–15 season was the best of any Cavaliers coach in team history.
During the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Blatt attempted to call a timeout when the Cavs did not have any left. This would have given the Cavaliers a technical foul, but the referees did not see the attempted timeout and the Cavaliers won the game, tying the series 2–2, and eventually winning the series. In Blatt's first season, the Cavaliers won the
Eastern Conference title, their first since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
. While other rookie head coaches have reached the NBA Finals, Blatt and rival coach
Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA champion, havi ...
of the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
were the first pair of rookie NBA coaches to face each other in the
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
since the first year of the NBA's existence, in 1947. The Cavaliers eventually lost 4–2 to the Warriors in the
Finals
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
.
On January 22, 2016, the Cavaliers fired Blatt. Although the team held the best record in their conference (30–11), general manager
David Griffin cited "a lack of fit with our personnel and our vision" as the reason for the decision. Blatt was replaced by his lead assistant
Tyronn Lue
Tyronn Jamar Lue (pronounced ''Ta-RON LEW''; born May 3, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He formerly served as t ...
, who guided the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship that season.
Even though Blatt only coached the first half of the championship season, the Cavaliers' officials sent him a 2016 NBA Championship ring. At first he declined their offer but later changed his mind and accepted it.
Return to Europe
On June 1, 2016, Blatt was named the new head coach for
Darüşşafaka of the
Turkish Super League
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
and the
EuroLeague. In his first season with Darüşşafaka, Blatt coached the team to the EuroLeague quarterfinals, where they eventually lost 1–3 to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
. In the Turkish Super League, Darüşşafaka was eliminated in the semifinals by
Fenerbahçe.
In his second season with Darüşşafaka, Blatt won the
2018 EuroCup Championship, becoming only the second coach in history (after
Dusan Ivkovic Dusan may refer to:
* Dušan, a Slavic given name
* Dusan, a son of Ra's al Ghul
* Stefan Dušan (1308–1355), emperor of Serbia
See also
*Doosan Group
Doosan Group () is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation. In 2009, the cor ...
) who won Euroleague (with Maccabi in 2014), EuroBasket (with Russia in 2007), EuroCup and Olympic medals (bronze with Russia in 2012).
On June 27, 2018, Blatt was officially named the head coach for
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
of the
Greek Basket League
The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...
and the
EuroLeague, signing a two-year contract. On October 6, 2019, Blatt parted ways with Olympiacos after one season, announcing he had been diagnosed with
PPMS and was currently in treatment for the degenerative condition, which will affect him the rest of his life.
Executive career
On December 18, 2019, Blatt announced his retirement from coaching after the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
hired him as a consultant.
Blatt's contract was not renewed after the 19–20 season.
On May 28, 2020, through the Israeli company True Player Group (50% of the shares are owned by the Blatt family), he became co-owner of Czech basketball club
BC Brno
Basketball Club Brno ( cs, Basketbalový Klub Brno), for sponsorship reasons Brno Next Generation, is a Czech professional basketball club based in the city of Brno. The team plays in the Czech National Basketball League – the highest competitio ...
.
Coaching record
EuroLeague
, -
, style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...
, style="text-align:left;",
2001–02
, 21, , 13, , 8, , , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in
Semifinals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2002–03
, 20, , 11, , 9, , , , style="text-align:center;", Eliminated in Top 16
, -
, style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",
Benetton Treviso
, style="text-align:left;",
2005–06
, 20, , 11, , 9, , , , style="text-align:center;", Eliminated in Top 16
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, style="text-align:left;",
2006–07
, 20, , 11, , 9, , , , style="text-align:center;", Eliminated in Top 16
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
Efes Pilsen
, style="text-align:left;",
2007–08
, 20, , 9, , 11, , , , style="text-align:center;", Eliminated in Top 16
, -
, style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5", Maccabi Tel Aviv
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, 22, , 16, , 6, , , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2011–12
, 21, , 12, , 9, , , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Quarterfinals
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, 27, , 16, , 11, , , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Quarterfinals
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2013–14
, 30, , 21, , 9, , , , style="text-align:center;", Won
EuroLeague Championship
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
Darüşşafaka
, style="text-align:left;",
2016–17
, 30, , 16, , 14, , , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Quarterfinals
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
, style="text-align:left;",
2018–19
, 30, , 15, , 15, , , , style="text-align:center;", Eliminated in regular season
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career, , 276, , 169, , 122, , , ,
NBA
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
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, 82, , 53, , 29, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central, , 20, , 14, , 6, , , , Lost in
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
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Awards and honors
*
EuroBasket 2007
The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to th ...
:
*
EuroBasket 2011
EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's EuroBasket, European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted t ...
:
*
2012 Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
:
*
2014 EuroLeague champion
* 2014
EuroLeague Coach of the Year
* 2014
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds a ...
Award winner
*
2018 EuroCup champion
* 2020
Bonei Zion Prize
The Sylvan Adams Bonei Zion Prize ( he, פרס בוני ציון; Translation: ''Builders of Zion Prize'') is awarded annually by the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization to formally recognize the achievements of outstanding Anglo immigrants and their con ...
in the field of Culture, Art & Sports.
See also
*
Sports in Israel
Sport in Israel plays an important role in Israeli culture and is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport (Israel), Ministry of Culture and Sport. The most popular sports in Israel have traditionally been Association football (mainly) and ...
*
List of select Jewish basketball players
*
List of foreign NBA coaches
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), foreign coaches—also known as international coaches—are those who were born outside the United States.
This list includes all international coaches who have been assistant and/or head coach in t ...
*
List of EuroLeague-winning head coaches
The list of EuroLeague-winning head coaches shows all of the head coaches that have won the EuroLeague championship. The EuroLeague is the European-wide top-tier level professional basketball club competition. The competition was originally calle ...
*
List of FIBA EuroBasket winning head coaches
The list of FIBA EuroBasket-winning head coaches shows all of the head coaches that have won the FIBA EuroBasket, which is the main international competition for senior men's basketball national teams that is governed by FIBA Europe, the European ...
*
List of ABA League-winning coaches
The list of ABA League-winning coaches shows all head coaches who won the ABA League, Adriatic League, the Adriatic Basketball Association-run regional men's professional basketball league that features sports club, clubs from Socialist Federal R ...
References
External links
David Blattat euroleague.net
David Blattat legabasket.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blatt, David
1959 births
Living people
ABA League-winning coaches
American emigrants to Israel
American men's basketball players
Anadolu Efes S.K. coaches
Aris B.C. coaches
Basketball coaches from Massachusetts
Basketball players from Boston
Basketbol Süper Ligi head coaches
BC Dynamo Moscow coaches
BC Dynamo Saint Petersburg coaches
Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches
Competitors at the 1981 Maccabiah Games
Darüşşafaka Basketbol coaches
Elitzur Maccabi Netanya B.C. players
EuroLeague-winning coaches
FIBA EuroBasket-winning coaches
Framingham High School alumni
Hapoel Galil Elyon coaches
Hapoel Galil Elyon players
Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. players
Honoured Coaches of Russia
Ironi Nahariya players
Israeli American
Israeli basketball coaches
Israeli Basketball Premier League players
Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Israeli Jews
Israeli men's basketball players
Jewish American sportspeople
Jewish men's basketball players
Maccabiah Games basketball players of the United States
Maccabiah Games gold medalists for the United States
Maccabiah Games medalists in basketball
Maccabi Haifa B.C. players
Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. coaches
Olympiacos B.C. coaches
Pallacanestro Treviso coaches
People with multiple sclerosis
Point guards
Princeton Tigers men's basketball players
Sportspeople from Boston
Sportspeople from Framingham, Massachusetts
Bonei Zion Prize recipients
21st-century American Jews
American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent