The Chicago Bulls have finally found their guy. After weeks of speculation and a coaching search that felt like it stretched into eternity, the franchise has inked Tiago Splitter to a three-year deal. The move signals a new direction for a team that’s been wandering in the NBA wilderness for years.
Splitter isn’t a household name to casual fans. But to anyone who watched the Portland Trail Blazers last season, his résumé speaks for itself. Thrust into the head coaching role just one game into the season after Chauncey Billups was suspended by the league for involvement in a gambling scandal, Splitter had zero prior NBA head-coaching experience. Yet he didn’t just survive — he thrived, steering Portland to a seventh seed in the Western Conference and a playoff berth.
Still, the Trail Blazers hesitated to offer him a long-term deal. That hesitation became Chicago’s gain.
A Spurs Education
Splitter is the latest branch on the sprawling Gregg Popovich coaching tree. He played for Popovich in San Antonio from 2010 to 2015, winning an NBA championship in 2014. And like nearly every player who spent time under Pop, Splitter absorbed lessons that go far beyond X’s and O’s.
“He was, of course, a great coach, mentor, and still is. A guy who calls me, texts me, and helps me,” Splitter said. “I saw how he did when certain things happened and how he would deal with situations, so I learned from it. The day-to-day things, how he treats players. He’s one of the best, if not the best, at how he makes everybody feel involved.”
The Long Road Back
Splitter is walking into a pressure cooker. The Bulls haven’t sniffed real contention since the Michael Jordan era. They’ve made the playoffs just twice in the last 10 seasons, and their title drought has become one of the league’s longest-running jokes. The roster has talent — DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević — but it’s been a puzzle no one has solved.
Now at 41, Splitter brings a calm, player-first approach molded by Popovich. He knows the Chicago rebuild won’t happen overnight. But if his time in Portland proved anything, it’s that he can handle chaos, adapt quickly, and get a group to buy in.
The Bulls are betting that Popovich’s wisdom, passed through Splitter, can finally turn the page on a long and painful chapter.
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