I have already provided the curious background information on the coach of the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr. See The Assassination of Steve Kerr's Father .
So it is only fair to provide background on the coach of the opposition Cleveland Cavaliers, in the NBA Finals.
Dave Blatt played point guard at Princeton University 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 9 of the next 12 years. He then went into coaching.
According to Wikipedia, 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 in 2014,
During the off season, he lives in Israel.
He told Haaretz, that since living in Israel he has become, "more Jewish and more Zionist."
According to ABC's NBA Finals broadcasters, Blatt is on a first name basis with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Netanyahou's office, "The Prime Minister has invited the Cavs to come to Israel to play against the Prime Minister's Office basketball team."
-RW
Thank you.
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