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Somewhere out there, David Blatt is also crying. Yesterday’s Game 7 of the NBA finals was a pretty emotional affair – even if Cleveland hadn’t won a major sports championship in 52 years, I don’t know if anyone was expecting such tearworks from Tyronn Lue, J.R. Smith, and LeBron James.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnC5ROZdANo&feature=share
But as Tablet points out, there’s one more (former) Cavalier that was likely crying his eyes out too: David Blatt. Blatt, the first Israeli to coach an NBA team, was fired midway through the season after leading the Cavs to a tremendous 30-11 start. Would the Cavs have done a lesser job with Blatt at the helm? Doubtful. Did LeBron (either knowingly or inadvertently) mess it all up for the Israeli sports hero? Yes.
In other news, the NBA to Europe? There’s been much talk – although who knows how seriously – about expanding the NBA to Europe now that basketball has become a mainstay of European culture. Do you know what other country does basketball pretty well? Israel. Israel, whose Maccabi Tel Aviv team secured the EuroLeague championship in 2014, would be ready for the NBA Euro expansion, says former Maccabi star Tal Brody. “Sports are a great peace maker and good for hasbarah. Sports open doors all over the world,” he said.
Livin La Vida Meshugah. Popular Latino singer Ricky Martin has embarked on a 2016 World Tour, which will include a visit to Tel Aviv. Martin, who has been in the music industry for over three decades now, will bring his spanish guitar in September to perform a medley of hits from his extensive repertoire.
May his memory be a blessing. The entertainment world lost a promising, charismatic young actor yesterday after Anton Yelchin died in what can only be described as a freak accident. Yelchin was Jewish, born to Russian figure skaters whose family faced oppression and persecution at the hands of Stalin. He had starred in several commercial and indie films (including Alpha Dog, Charlie Bartlett, and Star Trek), was loved by his friends and colleagues, and, at 27, had already been in the business for nearly two decades. Watch him on Curb Your Enthusiasm here.
Why are there so many anti-Semitic soccer hooligans? French police are investigating after a group of Hungarian soccer fans were caught red-handed performing Nazi salutes during their team’s Euro 2016 match against Iceland on Saturday. The incident might lead to “prosecutions under anti-racism laws, and legislation aimed at combating anti-Semitism,” according to the Daily Mail.
No wonder atheists die young. A new study published in the June issue of JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that people who consistently attend religious services may live longer than those who don’t. Who would have thought? “Religion and spirituality may be an under-appreciated resource that physicians could explore with their patients, as appropriate,” the study says.
Don’t listen to Radiohead on Ramadan. An angry mob stormed a radio store in Istanbul Saturday where the album release party for Radiohead’s latest record, A Moon Shaped Pool, was taking place, because attendees were listening to music and drinking alcohol during Ramadan. Two were injured in the attack, which Radiohead later condemned. “Our hearts go out to those attacked,” the band said in a statement. “We hope that some day we will be able to look back on such acts of violent intolerance as things of the ancient past. For now, we can only offer our fans in Istanbul our love and support.” Watch scenes from the attack below, and, if you’re brave enough, the music video for Radiohead’s Daydreaming.
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