Pen to paper finally happened on Tuesday morning, and just like that the Bulls officially had the 25th head coach in franchise history.
Sorry Portland.
It felt like Tiago Splitter, 41, was going to stay with the Trail Blazers, losing the interim tag right when the team’s season ended in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, but bizarre financial decisions from Portland’s ownership group and a lack of a solid commitment opened the door for the Bulls to steal the highly coveted coach.
That they did, as Splitter will have his introductory press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are excited to welcome Tiago to the Chicago Bulls,” executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson 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.”
A small sample size that played out for Splitter this past season, as few NBA coaches were as battle tested from Day 1 on the job.
A former NBA championship player with the Spurs, Splitter began his NBA coaching career in 2019, joining the Brooklyn Nets staff. His name went more household early on in the 2025-26 NBA campaign, however, when he was vaulted from assistant to becoming the Trail Blazers’ head coach, inheriting a complete mess in the wake of former head man Chauncey Billups’ arrest in connection with an illegal gambling investigation.
That’s when Splitter was able to really show off his coaching chops, refocusing the group to get into the postseason with a 42-40 record by beating Phoenix in the play-in game. Along the way he helped Deni Avdija become a first-time All-Star and former No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson somewhat resurrect his young career, as well as instilling a defensive identity to the group.
All attractive attributes for the Bulls.
“I want to thank Jerry (and) Michael (Reinsdorf), Bryson and the entire Chicago Bulls organization for the opportunity to lead this historic franchise,” Splitter said. “The Bulls represent everything I love about this game, carrying a proud tradition, a passionate city and a young, hungry group of players ready to grow. I’m grateful for the trust this organization has placed in me, and I can’t wait to get to work in Chicago.”
He might want to have the paint brushes handy because he’s walking into a pretty bare canvas.
The team has only eight players under guaranteed contracts for the 2026-27 season, plus two first-round picks with No. 4 and No. 15, and the most salary cap to spend this summer. That means a lot of development needed by Splitter.
Not a concern for Graham or the Bulls.
Not only because of what Splitter showed last season with Portland, but what he also did as a player in his seven-year NBA career.
While the 6-foot-11 center wasn’t dominant statistically, he showed off a high IQ in his five seasons with the Spurs, coming off the bench and holding up the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in 2014. He finished his career averaging 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
And while the month-long coaching search was a long one that came down to a final four of Minnesota’s Micah Nori, Atlanta’s Ryan Schmidt, and in-house candidate Wes Unseld Jr., Splitter proved to check all of the boxes that the Bulls were looking for.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers job is still open.