Blatt with the Cleveland Cavaliers in October 2014.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Darüşşafaka Doğuş Istanbul | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Head coach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
League |
Turkish Super League EuroLeague |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Boston, Massachusetts |
May 22, 1959 ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | American / Israeli | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
High school |
Framingham South (Framingham, Massachusetts) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
College | Princeton (1977–1981) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1981 / Undrafted | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1981–1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching career | 1993–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1981–1984 | Maccabi Haifa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1986–1987 | Hapoel Jerusalem | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1987–1989 | Maccabi Netanya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1989–1990 | Hapoel Galil Elyon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1990–1991 | Hapoel Jerusalem | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1991–1992 | Ironi Nahariya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1992–1993 | Maccabi Hadera | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993–1994 | Hapoel Galil Elyon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994–1995 | Hapoel Galil Elyon (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1995–1999 | Hapoel Galil Elyon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1996–1997 | Israel Under-22 (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997–2001 | Israel (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999–2001 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2001–2003 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003–2004 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004–2005 | Israel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004–2005 | Dynamo St. Petersburg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2005–2007 | Benetton Treviso | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2006–2012 | Russia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2007–2008 | Efes Pilsen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008–2009 | Dynamo Moscow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010 | Aris Thessaloniki | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010–2014 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014–2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2016–present | Darüşşafaka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
|
David Michael Blatt (Hebrew: דיוויד מייקל בלאט; born May 22, 1959), is an Israeli-American professional basketball coach, and a former professional basketball player. He is the head coach for Darüşşafaka of the Turkish Super League and the EuroLeague.
Blatt played point guard at Princeton University, with the Tigers, from 1977 to 1981, and played in the Maccabiah Games for the USA national team that won a gold medal in 1981. 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 American coaches in European basketball history. As a coach, Blatt has been the Israeli League Coach of the Year four times (1996, 2002, 2011, and 2014), the Russian Super League Coach of the Year (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 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.