The Chicago Bulls have issued a statement officially announcing the hire of Tiago Splitter as the team’s new head coach.
The Bulls chose Splitter as their new head coach after the former interim head coach with the Portland Trail Blazers couldn’t agree to a new contract with Portland and chose to leave.
Chicago is now getting one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the NBA, one who guided the Trail Blazers to the playoffs this past season after going 42-39 in the regular season. Splitter took over Portland’s bench just over one game into the season, after former coach Chauncy Billups was arrested as part of an illegal gambling sting.
Chicago Bulls Issue Statement on Tiago Splitter Hire
Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham issued a statement after the franchise officially announced Splitter as the team’s 25th head coach in franchise history.
“We are excited to welcome Tiago to the Chicago Bulls. 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. We are excited to partner with him as we build the next era of Bulls basketball,” Graham said.
Splitter himself also released a statement after officially being announced as the next head coach of Chicago.
“I want to thank Jerry, Michael, Bryson and the entire Chicago Bulls organization for the opportunity to lead this historic franchise. 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,” Splitter said.
Priorities for Chicago Bulls This Offseason
Now that the team has hired a new head coach, the Bulls have to get to work on the rest of the offseason.
The first order of business for Chicago is deciding who to take with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. There will be a good prospect available for the Bulls to take at fourth since this is such a deep draft, so Chicago needs to soon decide who they want to take with the pick. Chicago also has the No. 15 overall pick.
The next order of business will be who to sign or bring in via trade to help the roster out next year. The Bulls have a ton of cap room, so they can sign pretty much anyone they want in free agency, or they can make a trade with other teams to improve their roster. They can also take cap dumps from other teams to acquire extra draft capital.
It’s been a rough stretch for several years now in Chicago, but with Splitter as the team’s new head coach, the Bulls are in a great place moving forward with one of the NBA’s brightest young minds guiding the team.
Bulls Issue Statement on Tiago Splitter Hire