CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls are on the verge of appointing their new head coach, as revealed in a report by ESPN Senior Insider Shams Charania on Monday morning.
According to Charania, the Bulls are in the final stages of securing Tiago Splitter for the role. Splitter, who previously stood in as interim head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, is set to take the reins.
At 41 years old, Splitter is poised to become the 25th head coach in the storied history of the Bulls, following the departure of Billy Donovan. Donovan stepped down in April after directing the team for six seasons.
Originally from Brazil, Splitter took charge in Portland during an unexpected turn of events last season. He stepped up after the team’s former head coach, Chauncey Billups, faced legal troubles. Billups was indicted by federal authorities in connection with a rigged poker game, a case in which he has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering and wire fraud.
During his interim tenure with the Blazers, Splitter guided the team to a respectable 42-40 record, securing the 7th seed in the Western Conference for the 2025-26 season. Under his leadership, the team advanced past the play-in tournament but eventually succumbed to the San Antonio Spurs, the eventual Western Conference champions, in a five-game first-round series.
Prior to coaching, Splitter played overseas before being selected in the first round (No. 28 overall) by the Spurs in the 2007 NBA Draft. A 6-foot-11 center and power forward, Splitter played his first five seasons in San Antonio, helping the Spurs win the NBA title in 2013-14.
Splitter finished his seven-year playing career with the Atlanta Hawks for one season and the Philadelphia 76ers for one season.
After his playing career, Splitter was a scout with the Brooklyn Nets and an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets before joining the staff in Portland prior to last season. He was then elevated to the interim head role when Billups stepped down.
Splitter’s hiring is the first major move for new Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham, hired in early May to take over for Arturas Karnisovas, who was fired late last season.
According to Charania’s report, sources say top Bulls officials, including Graham, met with four finalists for the head coaching job: Splitter, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Atlanta Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr.
Splitter and Graham now lead the franchise through a critical offseason. The Bulls haven’t reached the playoffs since the 2021-22 season and haven’t advanced past the first round since the 2014-15 season.
The Bulls have two first-round picks, including a top-five selection, in the upcoming NBA Draft, considered one of the deepest in some time. The Bulls landed the No. 4 spot in the draft lottery with their own pick, and they also received Portland’s pick, No. 15 overall, as the final transaction from the 2021 three-team trade that sent Lauri Markkanen to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The draft is June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.