June 16: The Bulls have made it official, confirming in a press release that they’ve hired Splitter as their new head coach.
“We are excited to welcome Tiago to the Chicago Bulls,” Graham said in a statement. “Throughout our process, Tiago stood apart for his basketball intellect, his ability to connect with and develop players, and the way his teams compete every single night. He has won at every level of the game as both a player and a coach, on multiple continents, and we believe his vision is the right fit for our young roster. We are excited to partner with him as we build the next era of Bulls basketball.”
June 15: Tiago Splitter will be the Bulls‘ next head coach, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
It’s a hiring that affects two organizations. Splitter served as the Trail Blazers’ interim coach throughout the season due to Chauncey Billups’ ongoing legal woes and subsequent extended leave of absence. He was reportedly a finalist for the permanent job in Portland.
Instead, Splitter will take over an Eastern Conference club that has been stuck in mediocrity for over a decade. Chicago hasn’t even reached the conference semifinals since the 2014/15 season.
Thrust into a difficult situation, Splitter showed his leadership skills and ability to prepare his team as Portland finished with a 42-40 record and defeated Phoenix in the play-in tournament. The Blazers were knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual Western Conference champion Spurs in the opening round 4-1.
As K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network points out (Twitter link), this past season in Portland wasn’t Splitter’s first head coaching experience. He led Paris Basketball to the French Cup, LNB Elite title and a EuroLeague playoff berth as head coach in 2024/25. He also served as an assistant coach with the Nets and Rockets before joining Billups’ staff.
As Charania confirms, new Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham and his front office staff met with four finalists for the head coaching job last week in Chicago. Along with Splitter, they interviewed Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr.
The Bulls chose Splitter due to his ability to lead the team’s player development, organizational alignment on the franchise’s direction and vision, and his leadership and knowledge base as a coach, per Charania. He replaces Billy Donovan, who stepped down after the season.
Chicago’s staff is obviously hoping that Splitter can facilitate the development of the team’s young core that includes Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and last season’s lottery pick, Noa Essengue. The Bulls also have the No. 4 pick in next week’s draft and the No. 15 selection, ironically acquired in a trade with the Trail Blazers.
Nori and Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook were said last week to be the other finalists for Portland’s head coaching job. Whether the Blazers choose one of those two or add another candidate to their list remains to be seen.
Dana Gauruder contributed to this story.
