9 Key Quotes and Takeaways From Tiago Splitter's First Bulls Press Conference

It's official: Tiago Splitter is the Chicago Bulls new head coach.

The 41-year-old former NBA champion and Trail Blazers interim leader sat down to address the media on Wednesday. After a thankful opening statement, he answered a wide range of questions about the hiring process, his qualifications, and his vision for the franchise moving forward.

For a better idea of what he had to say, I pulled out nine of the most important quotes from the franchise's 25th head coach. You'll also find some of my own thoughts on why those moments stood out below each.

Tiago Splitter's First-Ever Bulls Presser

Jun 17, 2026; Chicago, Il, USA; New Chicago Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter speaks during a press conference at Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"We see what we have in our hands and what we can do and how we can get this franchise to be in the spot it deserves. We want to create a culture of high standards, great habits. Every day, get better, grow. It’s going to be a lot of work, take some time. I know what it takes, and I know the responsibility that I have and the expectations that come with being the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. So, I’m ready, and I can’t wait to start and work, and be more and more involved with this community."

Sure, this sounds like what you would expect any new head coach to lead with. Who sits in front of a mic and says they want to set the bar low and build questionable habits?

At the same time, the key point here is that Tiago Splitter didn't pretend like this job was something it wasn't. He didn't harp on immediate competitiveness or act as if this team automatically has an identity in place. Instead, like Bryson Graham, the new head coach didn't shy away from accepting that the Bulls were in a rebuilding phase. He understands that this is going to be a lengthy process and that his job is to ensure that the process goes smoothly.

Nobody wants to be rebuilding, but the only way to truly get out of it is to embrace it. The previous regime refused to do that, and this Bulls brain trust is proving to be very different. That's refreshing.

“The first thing you do is connect. I’ve actually already started doing that. I met a couple players this morning, talking, 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. The foundation is connect with the players in different ways. Generations, they change. You have got to adapt. But this is the first thing you got to do. It’s one of the pillars of the things you do in basketball, It’s the togetherness.”

Tiago Splitter doesn't necessarily get a cookie for already reaching out to the Bulls' players. Any head coach with half a brain would know this is Step 1 to getting off to a good start.

With that said, Splitter harped on the importance of building relationships and a sense of "togetherness." This was a pretty big theme throughout his first conversation with reporters, and it does tell us a little about the type of head coach he plans to be. Splitter didn't sound like someone who is eager for the players to look up to him or for them to fear his disapproval. It sounds like he wants to build a very connected unit that is about trust and relationships.

A former Gregg Popovich player, I can't say I'm surprised (more on that later).

“You've got to adapt your system to the players you have. That’s in every team, it’s the same. Yes, I have a vision. I have a certain way I want to play. But you also have to explore what they do best, and that’s what we’re going to do here.”

This was in response to Tiago Splitter addressing the style of play he hopes to bring to Chicago. During his time as the head coach of Paris Basketball, he was known to play more uptempo and lean on his guards. In Portland, it was a very different brand of basketball, which played a slower game with a questionable half-court offense.

Indeed, it's been hard to know how much of what we saw from the Trail Blazers last season is indicative of how Splitter likes to play. He was handed a group that wasn't his and essentially had to start by running former head coach Chauncey Billups' system. So Splitter's initial comments on this were always going to be important, and I think it's fair to say he answered the right way.

There will eventually be some obvious attributes of a Splitter-led team. But, for now, it was encouraging to hear him take the adapt or die approach. Today's NBA is changing constantly, and the most successful teams have a coach who can tailor their system to their top talent.

“I’ve been studying him more and more, getting to know him. We’re going to work every day hard to get him to be the best player he can be. I think nobody knows yet what his ceiling is. He’s going to show slowly the player that he’s going to be, and we’re not going to stop working … He’s the complete package. You got to work everything and see on the day to day where he can effect better. We see him as a very complete basketball player.”

The Chicago Bulls don't have many mainstays on their current roster, but it sure sounds like Matas Buzelis will remain a key part of the future plans.

Buzelis was the only player that Tiago Splitter spoke specifically about. To be clear, he was asked for his thoughts on the young forward directly, but he sounded more than ready to discuss the 20-year-old's potential. Especially when we consider what he did for Deni Avdija last season, turning him into an All-Star with a high-usage point-forward role, it will be fascinating to see what position he puts Buzelis in moving forward.

If one thing is for sure, getting the title of a "very complete player" from the get-go feels like it bodes well for Buzelis under his new head coach.

“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. I wanted to get a group of guys where they didn’t expect them to be and get them better. Of course, I come back to the NBA, stuff happens, and I did the same thing. So, going back to your question, I don’t like to put labels on people. I hate it when they put it on me. And I like to prove people wrong.”

Tiago Splitter's most confident moment came when he was asked about his somewhat unconventional path to being an NBA head coach. There aren't many international big men who step into the role, and it sounds like Splitter used this as motivation to climb the ranks.

It’s official:

Your new Chicago Bulls head coach … pic.twitter.com/FEOJJZb2cH
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) June 17, 2026

Indeed, you could feel the competitiveness oozing out of Splitter at this moment. He even had a slight smirk while answering, almost relishing in the fact that he had made it this far. I don't know about you, but this mentality excites me. Particularly for a coach who stresses the importance of connecting with players, this is the kind of mindset that will make that even easier to accomplish. Splitter is someone who has a chip on his shoulder.

“Coaching is different. Coaching is the ability, of course you have to know basketball, but you have to make them believe. 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. It’s a little different. There are so many things you do when you coach. It’s not just X’s and O’s.”

Speaking of building that connection, Tiago Splitter waxed poetic about everything that goes into being a leader. He did so after being asked about his playing days as a center and how it's typically guards who step into the head coach role later in their careers. To be sure, he did stress the importance of X's and O's, but he made clear that building a culture and connected group is really what leads to success.

Some might pick apart this comment after he struggled at times in late-game situations in Portland. But ... is he wrong? Developing young talent is about making a player believe and encouraging the right habits. Splitter sounds like someone who can do that. And, hey, the Bulls are well aware that they are essentially signing a first-time head coach. The idea is that he grows alongside the many youngsters moving forward.

“Pop was, of course, a great coach, mentor, and still is. A guy that calls me, texts me, and helps me. Of course, I’m not Pop. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not Pop. But he helped with experiences, I saw what he did when certain things happened and saw how he was dealing with situations. I learned from it. The day-to-day thing, how he treats players, I think he’s one of the best, if not the best. How he makes everyone feel involved.”

I don't have much to add here other than ... is there anyone better to have as a mentor!?

"As we go through this process, we got to see what kind of roster we're going to have. That's not done yet ... I can guarantee you one thing. We're going to compete every night. We're going to have high standards with everything that we do. It's really hard to tell you we're going to win X, Y, or Z amount of games. It would be really not smart by me to say that."

In another example of embracing the rebuild, Tiago Splitter refused to set premature expectations for next season. He insisted that there is a long way to go before they have a firm understanding of what this roster will look like and what they will be capable of. Again, it felt like another refreshing dose of transparency that spoke to how carefully the new head coach plans to go about things. It's easy to jump the shark when you're excited and new, so good on Splitter for sending the right message.

“When you go through the process of a developing team, you have to take the right shots. Most of them were open 3s, and we worked for those. Every team goes through different moments of rebuilding, team that wants to win, playoffs, teams that are looking for a championship. So, it changes a lot based on your goal. At the beginning of the year, we wanted to compete, we wanted to develop those young guys. Once we kind of did a decent job, ok let’s make the playoffs. But those goals changed throughout the season. Our shot profile changed throughout the season depending on what was the goal and who was playing.”

Arguably, Tiago Splitter's best moment came at the very end of his press conference. Sam Smith asked him a more specific question about why his Portland Trail Blazers team took so many threes despite sitting near the bottom of the league in efficiency. What came next was this pretty great look into Splitter's player development mindset and ability to be adaptable.

Part of teaching is living with failure. As Splitter said, his job was to teach this young group the right way to play and to expand their individual games. He was committed to that regardless of what the numbers said.

Additionally, you have to tip your cap to him for expressing the two different perspectives the organization had throughout the year. The start was about developing. Then, once enough of that development started to show itself, Splitter started to make some tweaks and push for the postseason. This feels like the exact kind of forethought the previous regime lacked. The Bulls' approach from Game 1 to Game 82 was always the same – win at all costs, even if it's at the expense of development or leads to mediocrity.

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