Coach Splitter on Gregg Popovich:
"He was of course a great coach, mentor and still is. A guy that calls me, text me and helps me. I saw how he did when certain things and how he would deal with situations, so I learned from it. The day to day things, how he treats players, he's one of the best if not the best at how he makes everybody feel involved."
Coach Splitter on Matas:
"He's a complete package, so you gotta work everything and then see on a day-to-day where he can get better between basketball games. But we see him as a very complete player on both defense and offense."
Coach Splitter on making connections with players:
"The first thing you do is connect. I actually already started doing that. That's the foundation of everything you do at this level. If you don't have that, it's really hard to demand and make them respect you. But the foundation is to connect with the players in different ways. Generations change and you just gotta adapt. But this is the first thing you gotta do. One of the pillars of the things you do in basketball is the togetherness. You gotta start there."
Tiago Splitter on coaching the Bulls:
"I'm honored to be the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. I think we have a great future in front of us. ... We want to create a culture of high standard. Great habits every day. Get better, grow. It's going to be a lot of work."
Sources tell me that Tiago Splitter's contract with Chicago is for three years, with a fourth year on a team option. It is believed to be at the league average, salary-wise. The average salary for NBA head coaches at this time is just under $7 million per year.
The Bulls 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 rising through the ranks since 2018 as well as a seven-year NBA player with one championship with the San Antonio Spurs.
Splitter, 41, guided the Trail Blazers to a 42-40 record and a postseason berth as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference amid adversity stemming from Chauncey Billups’ federal charges.
Sources said top Bulls officials, including Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham and his front-office staff, met with four finalists for the head coaching job last week in Chicago: Splitter, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Atlanta Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr.
Splitter, 41, impressed Bulls with his playing/coaching experience and player development record. After winning championship with Spurs during playing career, Splitter steadily rose through coaching ranks since 2018, including NBA assistant jobs, Brazilian national team and Paris
Splitter led Paris Basketball to French Cup, LNB Elite title and EuroLeague playoff playoff berth as head coach in 2024-25. He served as assistant coach with Nets and Rockets before that head coaching experience and then Portland head man last season.