Bull from Brazil: Why Splitter was considered rising star in NBA coaching world

Tiago Splitter was an unlikely candidate for meteoric rise to NBA head coach.

Three years ago, he was an assistant with the Houston Rockets who sat in the second row, behind the bench.

As a player, he was a solid sub on the 2014 San Antonio Spurs championship squad. Brazilian Luke Kornet is a pretty fair description.

Splitter is 6-foot-11, while the only NBA head coach ever to stand 7 feet was the Bulls' Bill Cartwright, who didn't last two full seasons from 2001-03, bridging the gap between Tim Floyd and Scott Skiles.

International head coaches have become more prevalent in the NBA. But a former NBA player, born outside North America, to become a head coach — Splitter appears to be a fraternity of one, and he knows it.

“There's a label that people put on you, right?” Splitter said at Wednesday's introductory news conference. “Foreign, big guy, 6-11 — you don't see many of those. So I was behind the bench in Houston, and I wanted to prove people wrong, because sometimes we put labels like that.

“So that's the reason I went to Paris. I wanted to lead a team. I wanted to be a head coach.”

Splitter became head coach of Paris Basketball in 2024-25 and led the team to the French league title and a spot in the EuroLeague playoffs.

“I wanted to get a group of guys where they didn't expect them to be and get them better,” he said. “And I did that in Paris. Of course, I came back to the NBA. Stuff happened, got a chance to lead a team again and do the same thing.”

Last year, Splitter took a role as an assistant coach in Portland but was elevated to the head job when Chauncey Billups was arrested as part of an FBI investigation into illegal gambling. The Blazers made the playoffs, hesitated to name Splitter the permanent head coach, so new Bulls head of basketball operations Bryson Graham brought him to Chicago.

Two years of exceeding expectations doesn't necessarily make someone the game's next coaching star. But the variety of Splitter's experience is impressive — player on a championship team, learned from coaching legend Gregg Popovich, started in player development, then had coaching success both overseas and in the NBA.

As Graham explained the choice, he listed the usual catch phrases when a team makes a hire like this — alignment, culture, high standard.

“Everyone in this building is going to feel it. All the players, they're going to feel it,” Graham said. “When we come to work, we're going to put our hard hat on it, and we're ready for a heavy lift.”

Splitter's highlight as a player may have been scoring 4 points early in the fourth quarter of Game 6 in the 2013 Finals. Those buckets put the Spurs up by 6 points in Miami, then he was subbed out for Tim Duncan.

That was the night Ray Allen hit the late 3-pointer to save the series for the Heat. Splitter also had four double-doubles in the early rounds of the Spurs' 2014 championship run.

Splitter's best game in Chicago was 16 points on Feb. 11, 2013, in a win over a Bulls team starting Nate Robinson instead of the injured Derrick Rose. Splitter made a point of talking about how he grew up a Bulls fan in a small town south of Sao Paulo.

“Bulls fans, you guys are awesome,” he said. “I'm actually a Bulls fan myself, growing up in Brazil. I watched many games late at night, hidden from my parents at 1 a.m., watching MJ games and rooting for the Bulls. So super excited to be here.”

One of Splitter's main messages Wednesday was how coaching is about more than drawing up plays and knowing a variety of defensive schemes.

He mentioned one of the main takeaways from playing for Popovich was how he made everyone on the team feel important. Splitter described it as treating players like grandsons. Splitter also said Popovich has already given support and guidance during this coaching journey.

“Of course, you've got to know basketball, but you've got to make them believe,” Splitter said. “You've got to know how to teach. You've got to know how to lead, put people together, show them the vision, show them the path. There's so many things you do when you coach.”

A few more quick takeaways: Splitter's team in Paris played at a fast pace, but he said playing style depends on personnel. He described Bulls forward Matas Buzelis as someone who doesn't yet know his ceiling. He said he'll consider current Bulls assistants for his coaching staff.

What comes next is impossible to predict. The Bulls have four picks to use next week in the NBA draft, including Nos. 4 and 15. Splitter and Graham promised the Bulls will compete every night, but he warned there's a long road ahead.

Surviving long enough to coach the Bulls in the playoffs would be a decent achievement for Splitter. The Bulls have a way of stomping out bright futures.