Idan Ravin

Idan Andy Ravin (born December 23, 1970) is an American basketball trainer. An attorney by trade, Ravin never played organized basketball beyond high school, unlike most trainers and advisors working with NBA players.

Early life

Ravin was raised in Potomac, Maryland by an Israeli mother, and Russian father. During his time in San Diego, Ravin began coaching youth basketball games and as part of that effort, led his youth teams through a series of unconventional training sessions that improved their playing ability. A feature of Ravin's workouts are the many distractions he creates while the players are doing ball handling drills. Examples include throwing tennis balls at players and requiring them to catch the balls as they dribble through a set of cones on a basketball court. At other times, Ravin has been known to tap players under the chin when they fail to keep their heads up as they dribble. Rarely do his workouts last longer than an hour and during the sessions Ravin is known for not raising his voice above the level of a normal conversation. Ravin's sports memoir, The Hoops Whisperer: On the Court and Inside the Head of Basketball's Best Players documents Ravin's journey from coaching youth teams to becoming one of basketball's most famous trainers. Published by Penguin, the book released May 1, 2014.