CHICAGO (104.3 The Score) – In canvassing the NBA during a long coaching search, recently appointed Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham didn’t have prior connections or familiarity with the majority of the candidates on the extensive list that he was researching.
In his first stint as a lead executive, Graham saw value in that blank-slate approach, and it’s also why the search took a lot of time. He had a lot to learn. Eventually, Graham turned his attention to Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter, who was one of 12 candidates whom Graham spoke with and one of a few finalists.
After meeting with Splitter in person last Thursday in Chicago, Graham and his front office staff felt good about the rapport that had been established and what they’d heard. That belief intensified after they decompressed and then regrouped a few days later to finalize a decision.
“The things that stood out to me the most are he’s smart, he’s curious as a coach and a game that is always changing,” Graham said as the Bulls introduced Splitter on Wednesday as the 25th head coach in franchise history. “He wants to get better. He’s got the right level of competitiveness. He’s a good communicator. He connects well with players. He’s been in that locker room and won at a really high level. He’s got a vision, and that is so important when you’re embarking on something like this. Because we are at the ground floor.”
Splitter has recent experience with a team in a tumultuous position, though the circumstances were far different. He took over as Portland’s interim head coach just one game into this past season after head coach Chauncy Billups was arrested in connection with a federal investigation into an illegal gambling ring. The Blazers had lost their first game of the season. From there, Splitter directed a young and talented-but-flawed team to a 42-39 mark the rest of the way, culminating in a playoff appearance after they advanced through the play-in round.
That progress would’ve been enough for an interim coach to earn the full-time job in many organizations, but new Blazers owner Tom Dundon has implemented a series of cost-cutting measures across the organization. Speculation has swirled that he's offering the lowest coaching salary in the NBA by a wide margin as he looks to fill the vacant head coaching position.
That was to the Bulls’ benefit, as the 41-year-old Splitter had an open mind and – one can assume – a desire to be paid at fair market value.
“I want to leave that behind,” Splitter said of the Blazers’ financial-driven decisions. “I want to think about the Bulls. That’s my goal right now, and I want to keep that behind.
“There’s too many things being said already. I think that’s enough. I’m past that.”
Splitter’s quality work in leading the Blazers is just one example of his diverse background. He grew up in Brazil – sometimes hiding from his parents in the house to watch Michael Jordan and the Bulls late at night, he said with a laugh – before leaving to play professionally in Spain as a teenager. He transformed into one of the best big men in Europe and was selected by the Spurs at No. 28 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. He then came to the NBA in 2010, embarking on a seven-year career that included a championship with San Antonio in 2014.
On his coaching journey, Splitter has been a scout, a player development coach, a second-row assistant and a first-row assistant.
Splitter also desired head coaching experience, and he got that when he left the NBA to direct Paris Basketball in the 2024-’25 season. He led Paris Basketball to a championship in the French league and to the EuroLeague playoffs.
“In terms of his wide variety of experiences, yes, that was very, very important in this,” Graham said while adding he had no prior connection to Splitter. “It’s one thing for me to go in there and tell (a player) he’s got to get better … It’s a lot different when it comes from someone who literally sat in that locker room and lost a championship to Miami in seven games (in 2013) and then turns around and wins one (in 2014).
“He goes to Paris and wins the French Cup. There was a lot of circumstances there. He’s got a phenomenal story. Again, he didn’t choose the hands that were dealt with him in Portland. One game in, an unforeseen circumstance hits, and that is true adversity. Adversity is when you can’t really see what’s coming. He handled that adversity. He led during that adversity, and he did it with class.”
Splitter expressed an understanding of what he’s getting himself into in Chicago. The Bulls are coming off a 31-51 season, after which they cleaned house by firing their top two basketball executives before head coach Billy Donovan chose to leave the organization. Graham has indicated on multiple occasions that an arduous rebuild awaits.
Depending on whom you ask, 21-year-old forward Matas Buzelis may be the only potential long-term building block on the current roster – Splitter spoke highly of him Wednesday – but they also hold the No. 4 and No. 15 overall picks in the NBA Draft next week and could have ample salary cap space this summer.
“We want to create a culture of high standards, great habits every day – get better, grow,” Splitter said. “It’s going to be a lot of work. It’s going to take some time. I know what it takes, and I know the responsibility that I have and the expectations that come with being the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. I’m ready.”
And Graham is ready to get to work with Splitter as well.
“When you’re going through a lot of hard times as a coach, as a player, as a front office staff, you’ve got to be in a foxhole with someone that you trust,” Graham said in turning to Splitter. “And there’s no one more that I’d want to be in that foxhole with than you.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor and reporter for 104.3 The Score.
