Grading the Bulls’ Tiago Splitter Hire: Did Chicago Make the Right Call With New Head Coach?
Grading the Bulls’ Tiago Splitter Hire: Did Chicago Make the Right Call With New Head Coach?
Liam McKeone|
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Chicago BullsOn Monday, the Bulls found their replacement for Billy Donovan at the end of the bench.
ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report Chicago was hiring Tiago Splitter to be the next head coach of the historic franchise. Splitter, 41, spent last season as the interim head coach of the Trail Blazers after being unexpectedly thrust into the role following the arrest of Chauncey Billups. Prior to that opportunity, Splitter spent time as a scout and coach with the Nets and as an assistant on Ime Udoka’s staff with the Rockets. He spent the 2024 season as head coach of Paris Basketball in the Euroleague.
Of course, he’s best known for his playing career. Splitter spent seven years in the NBA as a center with the Spurs, Hawks and Sixers, winning a championship with San Antonio in 2014. The retired big man played an additional 11 seasons internationally and won two FIBA AmeriCup gold medals for his home country of Brazil.
Splitter takes over in Chicago amid a period of significant transition. The Bulls are fully pivoting to a rebuild after a decade of failing to compete for titles but regularly finishing near the bottom of the East playoff picture. It made for a treadmill of mediocrity that prevented Chicago from earning any draft assets to find its next star with various rosters that couldn’t win a playoff series; the last time the Bulls made it to the second round was 2015. After hiring a new head of basketball operations and moving up the NBA draft lottery to land the No. 4 pick in this year’s loaded class, the franchise is embracing a youth movement—one that apparently extends to its young, rookie head coach.
To help understand why the Bulls hired Splitter and whether it was the right move for one of the league’s most famous franchises, we tried our hand at grading the Splitter hire for Chicago.
Grading the Tiago Splitter hire by the Bulls
Grading coaching hires is a tricky exercise for those who reside outside team buildings. This is particularly true in the NBA, where most of a good coach’s work is done behind the scenes and philosophically as well. We cannot see the process, only the results.
But thanks to his one season at the helm in Portland and the various public-facing qualities Splitter possesses, we can at least grasp an idea of what the Bulls are getting with this hire. And grading it is a useful lens through which to view the hire in this very moment. Let’s break down the positives and negatives of Chicago’s decision and hand out a final grade at the end.
Positives
The Bulls know Splitter can handle adversity. Everybody knows that after he took the reins of the Blazers due to the shocking arrest of Billups on federal charges. It was an unprecedented situation that unfolded literally one day after the team’s 2025–26 season opener. Splitter had never been the head coach of an NBA team and had to navigate choppy waters, to say the least. It would have been entirely understandable if the result was a shaky, uneven season for his team as they coped with the emotional toll of seeing Billups get arrested as part of a massive federal gambling case with severe, far-reaching real world consequences.
Instead, Splitter’s calm hand guided Portland to its most successful season in years. The Blazers finished above .500 for the first time since 2021 and qualified for the postseason, showing up big in two straight must-win games to end the regular season and claim the No. 8 seed before pulling off an epic come-from-behind win over the Suns in the play-in tournament to take the No. 7 seed in the West bracket. They wound up losing in five games to the Spurs in the first round but to get there at all is a big-time accomplishment under those circumstances, and losing to the eventual West champion isn’t a black mark either.
Several Blazers also took a leap under Splitter this past season, most predominately Deni Avdija. The forward made his first All-Star team while averaging 24.2 points per game on a roster without many high-quality shooters to give him space to operate. Scoot Henderson battled injuries for much of the year but played the best ball of his career when healthy. Veterans like Jrue Holiday and Robert Williams III also put forth solid years.
Behind the scenes, his players really seemed to enjoy playing for Splitter, which speaks to his interpersonal skills and his ability to connect as a former player himself. He got resounding endorsements during Portland’s exit interviews from several members of the roster.
Negatives
Really, the only negative we can point to is Splitter’s lack of experience. He spent one full year as a head coach abroad and 99% of a season as an interim head coach in the NBA. But this will be his first time really running an NBA team. He’ll be hiring all the staff and dictate what happens in the building every single day, from the overarching philosophical aims of their everyday process to the little things we can’t even begin to imagine a head coach has to decide on.
That’s a massive responsibility, which is why NBA teams often feel more comfortable hiring veteran coaches over rookies. The last Chicago coach, Donovan, had a lengthy track record of success in both college and the NBA; the franchise knew he was capable of managing everything that comes along with being an NBA head coach even if on-court success wasn’t guaranteed. They don’t necessarily know that with Splitter. It’s a risk no matter how much confidence one might have in Splitter’s ability to juggle everything.
Grade: B+
Ultimately, it’s a risk worth taking though. The job Splitter did last year was extraordinarily impressive, on par with Joe Mazzulla leading the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals six months after suddenly being named coach due to the Ime Udoka scandal. He may be a “rookie” head coach in the traditional sense but the trials he’s gone through are no joke—and his team reached great heights despite those trials. If there were going to be any first-year coach Chicago hired to lead the organization, he’s a great choice.
Splitter can grow with a young team, too. The Bulls give their coaches a pretty long runway to stumble on their way to success. Chicago is looking at a few losing years with the primary overarching goal of developing their young players rather than winning games. It will be critical to usher along Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue and the fourth pick in this year’s draft to whatever heights they can reach without allowing losing to impact the process. Based on last year, Splitter is entirely capable of keeping his team focused no matter what and helping younger players capitalize on their potential. As a coach he has plenty of that he can realize himself, too.
It’s not an automatic home run hire because of Splitter’s limited résumé. But it’s definitely not a wild home run swing on an inexperienced coach, either. This is a very solid bet by the Bulls and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Splitter hold down the fort in the Windy City for years going forward.
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Published Jun 15, 2026 | Modified Jun 15, 2026
LIAM MCKEONELiam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.
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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.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
