Chicago Bulls Hire Tiago Splitter as Head Coach

The Chicago Bulls have reached a deal to hire Tiago Splitter as the franchise's new head coach. Splitter, 41, succeeds Billy Donovan and will take over after guiding the Portland Trail Blazers to a 42-40 record and a playoff berth as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.

Splitter became the first Trail Blazers head coach with 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 since Mike Dunleavy in 1997-98. The Trail Blazers posted a 30-21 record in their final 51 regular-season games under Splitter and finished with a top-10 defense during that stretch.

Portland led the NBA in second-chance points per game under Splitter. Forward Deni Avdija emerged as a first-time NBA All-Star during Splitter's tenure. Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham and front-office staff interviewed four finalists last week in Chicago.

The candidates were Splitter, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Atlanta Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt, and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. The search spanned a double-digit number of candidates before the team selected Splitter. Splitter played seven seasons in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, and Philadelphia 76ers, winning one championship with the Spurs.

After retiring, he joined the Brooklyn Nets in 2018 as a scout and player-development staff member. He served as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets under Ime Udoka during the 2023-24 season and was head coach of Paris Basketball for the 2024-25 EuroLeague season before becoming Billups' lead assistant in Portland. The Trail Blazers must now hire a new head coach.

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook remain candidates for the Portland job and are expected to meet with team ownership soon.