The Chicago Bulls named Tiago Splitter their new head coach, hiring the former Portland Trail Blazers interim coach to lead the NBA franchise's next phase under a reworked basketball-operations group.
The Bulls announced the move on June 16 and said Splitter becomes the 25th head coach in franchise history. Chicago did not announce contract terms.
Splitter Takes Over In Chicago
Splitter, 41, arrives after serving as Portland's interim head coach during the 2025-26 season. The Bulls said he was elevated early in the year and guided the Trail Blazers to a 42-40 record, a play-in tournament win and the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
Chicago's official release leaned heavily on his player-development profile. Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham said Splitter stood out for his basketball intellect, ability to connect with players and competitive standard.
Hoops Rumors reported that Splitter had also been a finalist for Portland's permanent head-coaching job. Instead, he moves to a Bulls team that is reshaping its front office, coaching staff and young roster at the same time.
Bulls Bet On Development Resume
The Bulls cited Portland's top-10 league rankings under Splitter in several areas, including offensive rebounds per game, total rebounds per game, three-pointers made per game, opponent threes allowed and blocks per game.
Before Portland, Splitter coached Paris Basketball in 2024-25, leading the club to French League and Basketball Cup championships and a EuroLeague playoff berth. The Bulls said that made him the first Brazilian-born head coach in EuroLeague history.
His NBA coaching path also includes a season as a Houston Rockets assistant in 2023-24 and five years with the Brooklyn Nets, where he served as an assistant coach from 2019-23 after beginning with scouting and development duties.
Chicago Starts A New Staff Era
The hire gives Chicago a head coach whose background matches the franchise's current roster direction. Hoops Rumors noted that the Bulls' young group includes Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Noa Essengue, with Chicago also holding the No. 4 and No. 15 picks in next week's draft.
Splitter also brings playing credibility. The Bulls said he played seven NBA seasons, won the 2014 NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs and retired with career averages of 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 355 games.
The first test will be less about biography and more about structure. Chicago has paired a new basketball-operations lead with a coach whose strongest selling point is development, and the roster he inherits is built to test that claim quickly.