David Blatt
A basketball intellectual who won championships across Europe before a turbulent, brief stint as an NBA head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Born 1959 (age 67)·Israeli-American basketball player and coach·Birthday: May 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Blatt's story is one of transatlantic basketball intellect. Born in Boston, he played point guard at Princeton before moving to Israel, where he became a naturalized citizen and began his coaching career. For over two decades, he was a dominant force in European basketball, a sharp tactician known for his offensive schemes. He collected league titles in Israel, Turkey, and Russia, and in 2014, he led Maccabi Tel Aviv to a stunning EuroLeague championship. That victory catapulted him to the NBA, hired to coach LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. His tenure was a clash of cultures; despite reaching the 2015 Finals, philosophical differences led to his mid-season dismissal in 2016, even as the team held the conference's best record. Returning to Europe, he continued coaching in Turkey and Greece, cementing his legacy as one of the most successful American-born coaches outside the NBA.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the EuroLeague championship in 2014 with a dramatic semi-final upset of CSKA Moscow.
- Coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2015 NBA Finals in his first season with the team.
- Won multiple domestic league championships in Israel, Russia, and Turkey as a head coach.
- Named the EuroLeague Coach of the Year in 2014.
Did You Know?
He was a standout point guard at Princeton University, playing under Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril.
He served as an assistant coach for the Russian national team that won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Blatt speaks fluent English, Hebrew, and Russian.
He was the first head coach to guide three different clubs to the EuroLeague Final Four.
“I've never been a guy who looks for the easy way. I look for the right way.”
