As Bulls welcome Tiago Splitter, developing for the future is the main priority
As Bulls welcome Tiago Splitter, developing for the future is the main priority
Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham (left) stands with new head coach Tiago Splitter at an introductory news conference. Michael Hirschuber / Getty Images
By Joel LorenziJune 18, 2026 UpdatedCHICAGO — In introducing new Chicago Bulls coach Tiago Splitter on Wednesday, new lead executive Bryson Graham also introduced something lost on the previous regime: alignment.
There’s an honesty with how both Splitter and Graham spoke about the Bulls’ next step. It came with clarity about how far the franchise is from returning to prominence and a confidence in the resources at their disposal.
They do not shy from the term “rebuild.” To paraphrase Graham’s sentiments from his introduction six weeks ago, you’ll recognize one by the record. He spoke with conviction Wednesday about Splitter’s role in what comes next.
“He’s smart. He’s curious as a coach in a game that is always changing. He wants to get better,” Graham said of his reasons for hiring Splitter. “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, and he’s got a vision, and that is so important when you’re embarking upon something like this, because we are at the ground floor.
“When you have someone that has a vision that aligns with yours, that knows how you want to play and how to build a program, we couldn’t be more excited.”
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Tiago Splitter leaving Blazers to become Bulls coach
Splitter guided the Trail Blazers to a 42-39 record this season as interim coach after Chauncey Billups' arrest.
Splitter’s foundational trait throughout his journey from pro scout to head coach is his affinity for development, squeezing the juice out of prospects and raising the floor of teams. With the Brooklyn Nets, where he first served as an NBA assistant coach, he clung to Jarrett Allen. With the Houston Rockets, as part of Ime Udoka’s staff, he was transparent with Alperen Şengün.
This time next week, the Bulls will know which of the consensus top-four stud prospects in the NBA Draft has landed in their lap. Splitter’s hire is meant to facilitate that player’s acclimation and help to influence a malleable young talent who could mark a new era.
“I think the first thing you do is connect,” Splitter said of his approach to player development. “Actually, I already started doing that. I just met a couple players this morning, texting, phone calls. That’s the foundation of everything you do, especially 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, they change, and you just gotta adapt, but this is the first thing you gotta do. It’s one of the pillars of the things you do in basketball, the togetherness.”
Day 1 in the office for Coach Splitter 🫡 pic.twitter.com/E6EQHiWZ1O
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) June 18, 2026
This regime, still very much in its infancy, does not seem bound by rigidity. Splitter made no empty promises of the postseason, nor did he map a threshold for wins. He did not outline a style of play before knowing his players. His decisions, as he outlined, have historically been personnel-based.
Coaching in France, he led Paris Basketball to the EuroLeague playoffs without injecting anything personalized into the roster after inheriting a guard-inclined team. The team played fast before him, so it played fast with him.
With the Portland Trail Blazers last season, he took the reins of a team rocked by head coach Chauncey Billups’ alleged involvement in a gambling scandal. He raised the floor there, too, utilizing a drive-heavy offense through All-Star Deni Avdija, and leaned into rebounding through 2024 lottery pick Donovan Clingan.
“You got to adapt your system to the players you have, and that’s in every team, it’s the same,” Splitter said. “Yes, I have a vision, I have a certain way I want to play, but you also have to explore what they do best.”
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Without the roster filled out, it’s unclear how Graham’s and Splitter’s shared vision will play out on the court. Among the few noteworthy assets he inherited, Splitter believes in Matas Buzelis. Not seemingly one to guarantee anything, Splitter still detailed prioritizing the 2024 first-rounder.
“I’ve been studying him more and more, getting to know him,” Splitter said. “We’re gonna work every day to get him to be the best player he can be. I think nobody knows yet what is his ceiling.
“He’s a guy that learns fast. That’s what people have said to me. He’s going to continue to get better physically, he’s going to continue to shoot better, he’s going to read better, become a better defender. We see him as a very complete player (on) both ends.”
The Knicks finish the season atop the NBA's Power Rankings after winning their first title in 53 yearsLaw MurraySplitter, 41, wanted to lead a team. He’s done it twice before under unusual circumstances. Now, Splitter boasts more autonomy, with the power to direct a roster most closely based on his ideals.
He’s also tasked with herding and managing more youthful egos than ever. Lofty expectations won’t be thrust on his Bulls, who certainly won’t be measured by wins. Instead, what’s important will be their development.
“I can guarantee you one thing: You’re going to compete every night, and we’re going to have high standards with everything that we do,” Splitter said. “It’s really hard to tell you, ‘Hey, listen, we’re gonna win this X or Y or Z amount of games.’ (It would) be very not smart of me saying that. We got to know what’s going to be the roster; we got to compete every day, we set high standards, and we’re going to go from there. And then, eventually, we can make small goals and small wins.”
Splitter is also meant to continue his own development with this opportunity, and grow with a group that’s some seasons away from playoff contention. He knows what he signed up for.
“When you’re going through a lot of hard times, coach or whatever, as a player, as a front office staff — you’ve got to be in a foxhole with someone that you trust,” Graham said, “and there’s no one more that I want to be in that foxhole with than (Splitter).”
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
