Bulls hire Tiago Splitter as head coach with franchise in playoff rut

A new era in Chicago has begun.

The Bulls have hired former Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter as their next head coach.

Splitter stepped into the head coaching role with Portland after Chauncey Billups was arrested as part of a federal gambling bust and led the team to a 42-40 record and a spot in the NBA playoffs as the No. 7 seed.

Billy Donovan stepped down as Bulls coach in April after six seasons with the team. Chicago went 31-51 last season and has not made the playoffs since 2022.

The Trail Blazers excelled defensively under Splitter, ranking in the top 10, as he became the first Portland head coach to post a winning record in his first season with the team since Maurice Cheeks in 2001-02.

Splitter was also the first to win a playoff game in his first season in Portland since Mike Dunleavy in 1997-98.

The Brazilian-born head coach earned his players’ approval in Portland, where the Trail Blazers were also conducting a coaching search.

“He got thrown into a difficult situation. But he’s done a phenomenal job,” Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija said. “He’s getting the best out of all of us, and we love playing for him.”

The other finalists for the Bulls job were Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Atlanta Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. They all met with Bulls officials this week, ESPN reported.

Chicago originally considered at least 10 candidates but landed on Splitter due to alignment with the franchise’s direction, among other factors.

Splitter played seven years in the NBA, including time with the Spurs, the Hawks and the 76ers.

He won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 2014.

After retiring, he started his coaching career as a scout and player development staff member for the Nets, before becoming an assistant under Ime Udoka with the Rockets in 2023.

Splitter’s first head-coaching role was with Paris Basketball during the 2024-25 EuroLeague campaign.