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Full Press Conference: Bulls introduce Tiago Splitter as head coach
It's a new day on Madison Street. The Bulls introduced Tiago Splitter as the franchise's next head coach, succeeding Billy Donovan.
A lot is uncertain about the Chicago Bulls.
They have a roster that’s in flux. They have a new lead basketball executive. They now have a new head coach.
What is certain is how the leaders of this team are honest.
"It’s going to be a lot of work," Splitter said of the job at hand with the Bulls. "It’s going to take some time. I know what it takes."
What Splitter wants to convey is that he’s up to the task.
"I’m ready," he said.
Big picture view:
Splitter was introduced as the newest head coach of the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
He comes to Chicago having spent time as an assistant in Brooklyn for five seasons from 2018 from 23, Houston for one year and then he was with Portland for the last season as an assistant before getting bumped into the interim head coach role.
Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham said that unexpected jump into the Trail Blazers’ interim head coaching role was what impressed the Bulls, especially Bulls’ CEO Michael Reinsdorf and Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
"He handled that adversity, he led during that adversity, and he did it with class," Graham said. "That just gave myself, Michael, Jerry, and our entire organization that much, much more confidence."
Splitter took over one game into the 2025-2026 season.
He led the Trail Blazers to the NBA playoffs, clinching the seventh seed in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Splitter said it wasn’t an easy situation, but the team didn’t mention how coach Chauncey Billups was arrested for his alleged involvement in a federal takedown of a sprawling gambling operation.
"That was most important thing for me, just like leaving the outside noise out of the picture and focusing on basketball," Splitter said. "By the end, you’re having like a clear goal and finish the way we finished."
But it wasn’t just that experience in Portland, either.
Graham said Splitter’s coaching career was a "phenomenal story," and wasn’t just limited to the NBA. Splitter also coached the Paris Basketball Club to a French Cup championship in the 2024-25 season.
That’s what helped convince the Bulls to hand the reins to Splitter, who Graham didn’t have much of a connection to before this process.
"Not just with Tiago, but the majority of the candidates I didn't really have like a personal connection with," Graham said. "I went in really looking to get to know, and that's why I think I feel like this makes it that much more special."
What's next:
Splitter makes it clear that he’s past his time in Portland.
"There’s too many things being said already and I think that’s enough," he said. "I want to think about the Chicago Bulls."
This is true. There’s speculation as to why he didn’t remain in Portland, but Splitter made it clear he’s no longer thinking about the past. Instead, he’s thinking about the future.
Graham said he wanted to hire a coach that he believed in. He believes in Splitter because of how Splitter came to him with more than just a resume.
"He's got a vision, and that is so important when you're embarking upon something like this because we are at the ground floor," Graham said. "When you have someone that has a vision that aligns with yours, that knows how you want to play and how to build a program, I mean, we couldn't be more excited."
When asked what the Bulls will look like next season, Splitter was honest. He doesn't know. But, there's still more to do. The NBA Draft is next week. Free agency will follow.
First, Splitter has to fill out his staff. He’s eying coaches that will bring juice to the bench, as he put it.
He’s earned the chance to fill the bench in his own way, to help shape the roster how he wants and to curate Bulls basketball by his design.
"We got a lot of stuff to do these next days," Splitter said. "We come early and we leave late. We working all day here to make this franchise better."