The Chicago Bulls are headed into an extremely important offseason in what could move their rebuild timeline up quickly. After not extending former Head Coach Billy Donovan, the Bulls have pivoted to a young leader. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Chicago has signed Tiago Splitter to become the franchise’s next head coach.
The Chicago Bulls Select To Sign Tiago Splitter As Franchise’s Next Head Coach
BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are finalizing the hire of Portland Trail Blazers interim Tiago Splitter as the franchise’s new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Splitter succeeds Billy Donovan as the Bulls’ coach after stepping into the head job and excelling in Portland last season. pic.twitter.com/m8e91FrvXC
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2026
Splitter’s Time With The Portland Trail Blazers
Splitter, a former NBA champion, undertook an extremely unfortunate situation last season for the Portland Trail Blazers. He became the interim coach for Portland after former Head Coach Chauncey Billups was arrested for an illegal gambling operation just a few days into the 2025-26 regular season.
Their season took an unexpected turn, but Splitter and the Blazers didn’t let Billups’ arrest get the best of them. Portland had one of the best seasons in recent memory, finishing with a 42-40 record, Deni Avdija being selected as an all-star for the first time in his career, and the Blazers earning the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Even with the postseason ending disappointingly for the organization, there was no denying that Splitter and the young Blazers could make another postseason run next season with the return of franchise legend Damian Lillard. However, Portland’s front office wasn’t sold on Splitter, beginning a search that included him and several other prospective coaches.
Meanwhile, Chicago was in a coaching search of their own that included multiple candidates. After narrowing down the list little by little, they settled on the seven-year NBA pro who was picked out of the bunch for organizational reasons. Here’s how Charania broke it down:
The Bulls conducted a search that spanned a double-digit number of candidates before narrowing the process. They landed on Splitter due to his ability to lead the team’s player development, organizational alignment on the franchise’s direction and vision, and his leadership and knowledge base as a coach who has risen through the ranks since 2018 and played in the NBA for seven years with one championship with the San Antonio Spurs.”
Splitter’s Resume
The 2014 NBA champion will take charge of his second team since rejoining the league as a coach during the 2021-22 NBA season. While his resume isn’t much, his performance during this past season gives Chicago plenty of hope. He led the Blazers through an extremely tough period, reaching the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 NBA season.
After being a part of one of the most successful teams of the 2010’s, Splitter will now attempt to make Chicago a contender, building around one of the most intriguing young cores in the league today.
Chicago’s Situation
As mentioned, the Bulls are in one of the most important off-seasons in the franchise’s new rebuild. The team hasn’t finished with a winning record since the 2021-22 NBA season, which was also the last time they made the postseason. Season after season, Chicago fell just a little harder, but didn’t accept their failing rebuild. Now, with the young duo of Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis leading the team, Chicago selected Splitter to headline a roster full of potential to begin competing once again.
Now having half an offseason of prep, Splitter will take charge of one of the most historic franchises in NBA history. While it will take a few seasons, Chicago believes Splitter can once again lead them to a golden era behind the potential-heavy roster full of young and hungry players.
Adding in a potential superstar with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Splitter has a chance to make two extremely impressive runs in just his first two seasons as a full-time head coach. After years of falling just short, the 41-year-old can make the historic franchise rise atop an Eastern Conference that seems to get better by the day.
Featured Image: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
