Bulls Finalize Deal to Hire Tiago Splitter as Head Coach

The Chicago Bulls have reached an agreement to hire Portland Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter as their new head coach, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Splitter will replace Billy Donovan in Chicago after an impressive first season leading the Trail Blazers. The 41-year-old took over in Portland last year and guided the team to a 42-40 record and a playoff berth as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, despite the disruption caused by Chauncey Billups’ federal charges.

Splitter became the first Trail Blazers head coach to post a winning record in his first season since Maurice Cheeks in 2001-02. He also became the first Portland coach to win a playoff game in his debut season with the franchise since Mike Dunleavy in 1997-98.

Over the final 51 games of the regular season, the Trail Blazers ranked among the NBA’s top 10 defenses and went 30-21. Portland also led the league in second-chance points per game under Splitter last season.

Splitter earned strong support from Portland’s locker room, including from star forward Deni Avdija, who became a first-time NBA All-Star under his guidance.

Bulls executives, including executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham and members of the front office, met last week in Chicago with four finalists for the head coaching position: Splitter, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Atlanta Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr., sources said.

Chicago’s search included more than 10 candidates before the pool was narrowed. The Bulls ultimately chose Splitter because of his player-development background, alignment with the franchise’s vision and his leadership as a former NBA player who has steadily built his coaching resume since 2018. Splitter played seven seasons in the league and won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs.

Splitter played overseas before the Spurs selected him with the No. 28 pick in the 2007 NBA draft. He later played for San Antonio, Atlanta and Philadelphia. After retiring, he joined the Brooklyn Nets in 2018 as a scout and player-development staff member, spent the 2023-24 season as an assistant on Ime Udoka’s Houston Rockets staff and coached Paris Basketball during the 2024-25 EuroLeague season before returning to the NBA as Billups’ lead assistant in Portland.

With Splitter expected to leave for Chicago, Portland now must hire a new head coach. Minnesota assistant Micah Nori and Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook remain candidates and are expected to meet with team ownership soon, sources told ESPN.

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