David Blatt is a former professional basketball player and coach who is now working as a basketball executive. He attended Princeton University from 1977 to 1981 before going on to play professionally in Israel for nine of the next twelve years.

David Blatt’s Biography, Wiki and Quick Facts

David Blatt began teaching after suffering an injury and immediately became one of the most successful Israeli-American coaches in European basketball history. He has four times been named Israeli Super League Coach of the Year, Russian Super League Coach of the Year, and EuroLeague Coach of the Year. Kinneret Blatt, his wife, is his wife.

Blatt’s coaching career took a turn in 2014 when he was named head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his debut season, he led the team to the NBA Finals and to the top of their conference the following year. He was fired mid-season in 2016, however, and returned to coaching in Europe. Blatt’s basketball career has been extremely successful, and he has left a lasting impression in both the United States and Europe.

What is David Blatt’s net worth?

David Blatt has a net worth of $9 million and is a successful Israeli-American basketball executive, former player, and coach. He has made a substantial amount of money from his excellent basketball career, earning millions of dollars per year. His devotion and hard work in the sport have paid off, allowing him to live a comfortable and affluent existence.

Despite his wealth, Blatt maintains a grounded and concentrated approach to his basketball obsession. The sports sector is his principal source of riches.

Blatt’s fortune has enabled him to enjoy the finer things in life, like as lavish vacations, high-end cars, and a lovely home. His prosperous profession has provided him with financial security, allowing him to live life to the utmost. He is grateful for his accomplishments and continues to encourage and motivate future basketball players worldwide.

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Who are David Blatt’s parents?

David Blatt, a Jewish man, was born on May 22, 1959, under the name David Michael Blatt. William F. Blatt, an inventor who died in 2014, and Lillian (Siegal) Blatt, who died in 1997, were his parents. Blatt was born in Kentucky but raised in Framingham, Massachusetts.

He was raised with four siblings. His ethnicity as an American citizen is American-White, and he will be 63 years old in 2022. He is a Christian, yet until his Bar Mitzvah, he attended a Reform Temple and Hebrew school twice a week.

Blatt was persuaded by a coach for an Israeli kibbutz team to play basketball in Israel for the summer of his sophomore year at Princeton, which turned out to be a life-changing event for him.

In 1981, he received a B.A. in English literature from Princeton, where he authored his senior thesis on Bernard Malamud, author of The Natural. Blatt afterwards relocated to Israel and joined the Israel Defense Forces at the Schneller military facility. He married Kineret, a former Israeli professional basketball player whom he coached, in 1991.

They have four children, one of them, Tamir Blatt, played basketball for numerous Israeli teams. Blatt was chosen to light a torch during the beacon lighting event on Mount Herzl in 2023, in commemoration of Israel’s 75th anniversary.

How did David Blatt’s career go?

• David Blatt, a former American basketball player and coach, began his career as a player at Framingham South High School, where he was also class president. Following that, he attended Princeton University for four years, from 1977 to 1981. Blatt was team captain at Princeton under coach Pete Carril.
• Blatt also won a gold medal with the USA national team at the 1981 Maccabiah Games. Following his accomplishment at the Maccabiah Games, he launched his professional career in Israel’s Super League, where he spent nine of the next twelve years. However, an injury ended his playing career, and he changed his concentration to full-time coaching.
• After retiring as a player, David went on to have a successful coaching career in basketball. He started as an assistant coach for Hapoel Galil Elyon before taking over as head coach in the midst of the 1993-94 season. He worked as Pini Gershon’s assistant during the 1994-95 season and was named Israeli Coach of the Year in 1996.
• Blatt also coached the Russian national basketball team for six years, during which time they won the EuroBasket in 2007. From 1997 to 1999, Blatt worked as an assistant manager for Israeli National Team coach Galil Elyon. During his stint with Galil Elyon, he assisted Pini Gershon in transmitting directions during live national television broadcasts of their opponents’ timeouts during the Israeli league finals series games.
• For the 1999-2000 season, he was an assistant coach with Maccabi Tel Aviv, when he won both the Israeli League and the Israeli Cup. Blatt remained as an assistant coach under Pini Gershon, where he assisted in the recruitment of overseas players such as Anthony Parker and Maceo Baston.

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• During that time, Maccabi won one EuroLeague title, advanced to the EuroLeague Final Four, and finished second in the Adriatic League. Blatt was named Israeli “Coach of the Year” for the second time in 2002, when he took over as head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv. When Pini Gershon returned to the head coaching post in the 2003-04 season, he consented to be demoted to assistant coach once more. They led Maccabi Tel Aviv to another EuroLeague title, this time with a 44-point victory in the final, as well as the Israeli Championship and the Israeli Cup.
• Blatt was named “Coach of the Year in Russia” for the 2004-05 season after winning the FIBA EuroCup championship with Dynamo Saint Petersburg. He became the head coach of the Italian league’s Benetton Treviso, leading them to the Italian championship with a 3-1 victory in the final series of the Italian playoffs.
• Blatt was also named head coach of the Russian national basketball team, which won the EuroBasket 2007 by a score of 60-59 over the defending world champions and host club Spain. Blatt was hired head coach of the Istanbul-based Turkish Super League team Efes Pilsen at the start of the 2007-08 season, but he left the squad on April 6, 2008, due to poor results.
• After Ettore Messina announced his departure from CSKA Moscow, Blatt was hired head coach of Dynamo Moscow in 2008. Blatt left Dynamo Moscow despite being under contract for two seasons after wishing to depart. Later, he was the head coach of the Greek League club Aris before returning to coach Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2010.

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• He led the Russian national team to a bronze medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics and also led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the EuroLeague championship in 2014 after an incredible comeback against CSKA Moscow in the semifinal game. In his six seasons as Maccabi’s head coach, he went 269-73 overall, including a 121-81 lifetime coaching record in the EuroLeague with Maccabi, Treviso, and Efes. Blatt departed Maccabi in June 2014, after his contract expired, to pursue a coaching post in the NBA.
• On June 20, 2014, he was hired as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and was named EuroLeague Coach of the Year. He guided the team to its first Eastern Conference title since 2007, with a record of 53-29 and a.639 winning percentage, the greatest of any Cavaliers coach in team history at the time. Despite the Cavaliers having the best record in their conference (30-11), Blatt was fired on January 22, 2016. Blatt was replaced as head coach by Tyronn Lue, who led the Cavaliers to their first NBA title that season. Despite not being the coach throughout the title run, the Cavaliers offered Blatt a championship ring, which he initially declined but eventually accepted.
• On June 1, 2016, David Blatt returned to Europe as the new head coach of Darüşşafaka of the Turkish Super League and the EuroLeague. In his first season, he led the squad to the EuroLeague quarterfinals and a Turkish Super League semifinal defeat. He won the 2018 EuroCup Championship in his second season, becoming only the second coach in history to win the Euroleague, EuroBasket, EuroCup, and Olympic medals.

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• He was named head coach of Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague on June 27, 2018, and signed a two-year contract. However, Blatt left Olympiacos after one season on October 6, 2019, due to his diagnosis with PPMS, a degenerative ailment that would afflict him for the rest of his life.
• Blatt announced his retirement from coaching on December 18, 2019, after the New York Knicks hired him as a consultant. His contract, however, was not extended following the 2019-2020 season. On May 28, 2020, he bought a 50% ownership stake in Czech basketball club BC Brno through the Israeli enterprise True Player Group.

David Blatt Awards and Achievements

As head coach:

• 2014 EuroLeague champion
• 2014 EuroLeague Coach of the Year
• 2018 EuroCup champion
• FIBA Champion of the EuroChallenge (2005)
• (2006) Italian League champion
• Winner of the Italian Cup in 2007.
• (2012) Adriatic League champion
• Coach of the Year in the Russian Super League (2005)
• 5 Israeli Super League titles (2002, 2003, 2011, 2012, and 2014)
• Six Israeli Cup winners (2002, 2003, 2011, and 2014).
• Coach of the Year in the Israeli Super League four times (1996, 2002, 2011, 2014)
• Recipient of the Russian Federation’s Order of Friendship (2014)

As an assistant coach:

• 4x Israeli Basketball League champion (1993, 1999–2001)
• 3x Israeli Cup champion (1999–2001)
• SuproLeague champion (2001)
• EuroLeague champion (2004)Awards and Achievements

Who is David Blatt’s wife? Relationship Status

David Blatt is happily married to Kinneret Blatt, and the couple lives a happy life together. Tamir Blatt, Shani Blatt, and Ela Blatt are their three children. Tamir is an Israeli basketball player who plays for Alba Berlin in the German Basketball Bundesliga.

David Blatt is known to keep his personal life private, and there have been no allegations of marital strife. David Blatt identifies as straight, and no information about his previous relationships or dating history is available in the public domain.

Tamir Blatt, the son of David and Kinneret Blatt, is a professional basketball player who is following in his father’s footsteps. He is presently playing in the German Basketball Bundesliga for Alba Berlin. Tamir was born in 1997 and has already established himself as a basketball star. His proud parents have been supportive of his career and have encouraged him along the way.

What is David Blatt’s height?

David Blatt has a thin build, standing at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and weighing 181 pounds (82 kg). He has a handsome appearance and is well-known for his fashionable appearance. His hair is a dark brown tone that complements his sharp facial features, and his eyes are similarly a dark brown tint.

Blatt’s physical characteristics have been important in his professional career as a basketball player and coach. His tall stature and athletic frame have allowed him to play effectively on the court, and his keen appearance has also contributed to his entire public character. Despite his age, he maintains his physical fitness and appears youthful.

You Should Know These David Blatt Facts.

• After his playing career was cut short due to injuries, he began coaching full-time.
• In 2014, he was named Cleveland’s head coach.
• His faith is Judaism.
• He attended Princeton University from 1977 to 1981 and represented the United States in the Maccabiah Games, winning a gold medal in 1981.

Frequently Asked Questions About David Blatt.