The Cleveland Cavaliers hired David Blatt as their new head coach Friday, making him the first European coach to make the move to the NBA.
Blatt is American-born — he grew up in Framingham, Mass., attended Framingham South High School and went to college at Princeton University — but has spent the past 33 years coaching in Europe, winning various championships along the way. His most recent stint was with Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he coached the team to a Euroleague Championship upset over Real Madrid. He also won a bronze medal for Russia in the 2012 London Olympics.
Considered one of the sport’s brightest offensive minds, Blatt was on the radar of the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves as an assistant coach before the Cavs reached the deal.
Blatt agreed to a three-year contract with a team option for a fourth year that could be worth up to $20 million. He’ll join the team Wednesday, a day before their No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
Blatt replaces Mike Brown, who the Cavs fired on May 12.
