The Chicago Bulls announced on Tuesday that Tiago Splitter will replace Billy Donovan as head coach. The move follows the front office’s recent hiring of Bryson Graham as the club’s top executive. With the No. 4 and No. 15 selections in next week’s NBA draft, Chicago now controls two high-end picks that could reshape a roster still in transition.

Splitter entered the NBA as the 28th overall pick in the 2007 draft. He spent five of his seven-year league career under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, contributing to the 2013-14 Spurs championship and starting a majority of the postseason games. In San Antonio he averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, and he started 153 of his 355 career games before a hip injury in 2016 forced surgery and ultimately ended his playing days. He retired in 2018 after a brief stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Photo: Chicago Tribune

On the international stage Splitter represented Brazil in four FIBA World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) and the 2012 London Olympics. He added two gold medals (2005, 2009) and a silver (2011) in the FIBA AmeriCup. After hanging up his sneakers, he joined the Brazilian national team as an assistant coach in 2021 and has also guided youth squads in the country’s development system.

Splitter’s coaching résumé began with a season as a professional scout for the Brooklyn Nets, followed by a promotion to player-development coach in 2019, a role he held through 2023. He then spent a year as an assistant on the Houston Rockets staff before taking the head-coaching job at Paris Basketball. In France he captured both the Ligue Pro championship and the French Cup, and he steered Paris into the EuroLeague via a play-in tournament, demonstrating an ability to translate success across different competitive environments.

Photo: Chicago Tribune

For Chicago, Splitter’s blend of championship pedigree, player-development experience, and international scouting could be a catalyst for the rebuild. His work with Brooklyn’s young big men suggests he can nurture the talent selected with the No. 4 and No. 15 picks, while his fluency in multiple languages may open doors to overseas prospects that have been underutilized by the Bulls historically. The upcoming draft and the ensuing Summer League will be the first practical tests of his system, and the early-season schedule will reveal how quickly his philosophies can be integrated into a roster that mixes veteran leadership with rookie potential.