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David Blatt Flashes Hebrew Skills in Israeli NBA Commercial

The head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers tells Israel to wake up early—like really early—to watch LeBron James. They should.

by
Jonathan Zalman
November 05, 2015
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
David Blatt speaks with LeBron James during the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs in Cleveland, Ohio, May 26, 2015. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
David Blatt speaks with LeBron James during the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs in Cleveland, Ohio, May 26, 2015. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt was working in the Midwest last night, drawing up x’s and o’s tactical enough for a home win over the New York Knicks, probably yelling something along the lines of the importance of playing team defense for 48 full minutes. But Blatt also made an interesting appearance on the Internet, apparently during a live YouTube broadcast of the Maccabi Rishon soccer game, in which he appears in a commercial promoting NBA broadcasts on Israel’s Channel 5.

As Shlomo Artzi’s music plays in the background, Blatt proceeds to wake a bunch of sleeping Israelis, before leading them on a pre-dawn march in their pajamas through a quiet street, and telling the camera in Hebrew to tune in and watch the basketball of the NBA. (Live NBA games broadcast super early in Israel.) Then Blatt, who was raised Jewish, served in the IDF, coached in Israel, and is married to an Israeli woman, says “LeBron is waiting.”

Jonathan Zalman is a writer and teacher based in Brooklyn.