Arizona Wildcats hire notable former NBA head coach as consultant

Several years after coaching in the NBA, David Blatt is headed to the U of A.

Israeli outlet Ynet News reported Sunday that ex-NBA head coach Blatt has been hired by the University of Arizona as a consultant for their men’s basketball team. Blatt currently heads the managing committee for Israeli pro team Maccabi Tel Aviv. But Blatt, who is battling multiple sclerosis, has decided to step down from that position due to difficulties with the frequent air travel, a Maccabi spokesperson was quoted as saying.

The 64-year-old Blatt is one of the most successful basketball coaches in Israel's history, having won five Israeli Super League championships and six Israeli Cup titles as a head coach. He made the leap to the NBA in 2014, coaching LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for one-and-a-half total seasons before getting fired. Blatt got a job with another NBA organization, but eventually returned to Maccabi in 2022. He also currently does professional consulting work for the Canadian national basketball team.

As for Arizona, the Wildcats have had continued excellence under coach Tommy Lloyd, who is entering his third year in charge. Though the team suffered an embarrassing upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, they have still gone a pristine 61-11 (.847) under Lloyd, with two conference tournament titles and a conference regular-season title. Arizona also landed a big transfer a few months ago and now are hiring a big basketball figure in Blatt, to boot.

H/T HoopsHype