The Israeli-American coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers David Blatt became the latest target in the satirical antics of late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel this week.
Astutely observing that Blatt has a tendency to overuse the word “um,” the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live put together a mashup of the coach’s many hesitations in post-game press conferences this season and set it to the tune of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Kimmel, who is known for poking fun at celebrities, politicians and other public figures, remarked that Blatt’s “eloquence” was an improvement on the short, grumpy answers from San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich that dominated the post-game press conferences at last season’s playoffs.
Blatt’s Cavaliers are currently battling the Golden State Warriors in the final round of the NBA playoffs.
Blatt grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts, and immigrated to Israel in 1981 to play professional basketball. He became a coach after suffering a career-ending injury.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this