Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt shares the same sentiments of most basketball fans on who the consensus best player in the world is: LeBron James.
Blatt was at the coaches clinic of the Heraklion preseason tournament when he was once again asked about his former player.
“He is the best player in the world, but like I said before he is also human. He is simple, works hard and respects everyone in the organization,” Blatt said, per Eurohoops.net.
Blatt spent around one and a half seasons coaching James in Cleveland before he was fired in the middle of the 2015-16 season, despite the team having a record of 30-11 at the time. He was replaced by then-assistant coach Tyronn Lue, who eventually steered the Cavs to their first NBA championship in that same season.
James and Blatt did not have the best of relationships during their time together, but they were still able to lead Cleveland to the NBA Finals in their first year together in the 2014-15 season. Despite their differences, this did not hinder Blatt from offering his praises toward The King.
Blatt has not been able to find a coaching stint in the NBA following his departure from Cleveland. He returned to Europe in June 2016 and eventually led Darüşşafaka to its first ever championship by winning the EuroCup in 2018. Currently, he is the head coach of Olympiacos for the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague.
Meanwhile, James is now also gone from the Cavs after taking his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers.