Bulls Media Day Live Updates: Bryson Graham, Caleb Wilson, Youth Movement, More

The media floated toward the press room like they caught a whiff of a cartoon pie on a windowsill.

Monday afternoon at the United Center marked a pipingly fresh start for the Chicago Bulls organization. It was only a matter of months ago that ownership opted for a complete overhaul. While it didn't come as a surprise considering the on-court results, historical precedent suggested that Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley would have a far longer leash.

Nevertheless, Michael Reinsdorf proceeded to sit down in front of reporters and stress his dedication to bringing the Chicago Bulls back to relevance. How would he attempt to do just that? Making one of the most uncharacteristic hires in franchise history.

Bryson Graham was a rather unknown commodity. The vice president of basketball operations spent only one year as second in command with the Atlanta Hawks. The rest of his career was spent rising up the ranks with the New Orleans Pelicans. He was reportedly among the youngest candidates the Bulls interviewed for their top job. And it's this youthful energy that will now define the Bulls' new Era.

Whether it be snagging Caleb Wilson No. 4 overall on draft night or hiring former big man Tiago Splitter to take over head coach duties, the Bulls are fully invested in young blood. Now it's time to show they are ready to embrace everything that comes with that.

Chicago Bulls Media Day Live Updates

Jun 17, 2026; Chicago, Il, USA; Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham (R) introduces Chicago Bulls new head coach Tiago Splitter (L) during a press conference at Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bryson Graham & Tiago Splitter Quotes

"Just because the word rebuild is out there doesn't mean this can't be fun, this can't be exciting, Bryson Graham said"

• Bryson Graham led with the same transparency he's had since Day 1. The front office leader didn't hesitate to admit that the Bulls were starting from the ground up and that this season was about laying the foundation. All things considered, it's a refreshing philosophy from a new leadership team.

"We want to win every game and want to compete every night, but we can't forget how those guys are developing," Tiago Splitter said. "How is our identity, culture, our standards? From the first day, me, Bryson, and the rest of the staff are putting together, day-by-day, effort by effort, growing this team."

• Tiago Splitter followed suit.

"Internally, we know it's a season of growth and development," Graham said. "We have to be ok with giving him [Caleb Wilson] grace this year. There are going to be some ups and downs. There is going to be some progress, there is going to be some regression ... we are going to be patient, we are going to temper those expectations. "

• To say that Bryson Graham and Tiago Splitter gushed about Caleb Wilson would be an understatement. They both sound confident that he can turn into a key piece of this rebuild, but they also stressed the importance of saving him from himself.

"Not mortgaging the future for short-term gains. I'm going to be leaning on Tiago and Tiago is going to be leaning on me ... I will do my best to be patient because, just like every fan in the city of Chicago, our ownership, we want to win. I want everyone to know that very clearly: We want to win a championship. It's going to take patience."

• In a moment that will make angsty Bulls fans salivate. Bryson Graham insisted that this franchise will not get intoxicated by a small winning streak. This is going to be a long process. Patience was arguably the word of the day.

"Raise the floor a little bit, but not mortgage the future, which is really important. As you're developing, it's better to develop with a more competent roster. I think that's really important, as well ... Hopefully with our rook iemid-level that is intact, there are some opportunities down the line."

• Speaking to that same point, Bryson Graham continued to talk about the business they can do behind the scenes. They viewed some veteran additions as a floor-raising move in a new lottery era, but they believe that operating as a salary-dump team is still on the table.

LIVE: Bryson Graham & Tiago Splitter speak at Media Dayhttps://t.co/iobBEPZQG0
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 28, 2026

Caleb Wilson

This post will be updated throughout the day.

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