Tiago Splitter, 40 years old, . The decision comes after , Chauncey Billups, suspected of involvement in an illegal poker gambling scheme.
The information was confirmed by journalist Shams Charania, from ESPN, this Thursday (23). With this, the former player becomes the first Brazilian to coach an NBA team.
According to Charania, Nate Bjorkgren, who shared the role of assistant coach with Splitter, was “highly considered” for the role, but management decided it was best for the franchise for him to continue in his current role.
The Brazilian officially joined the team less than a month ago, on October 6th.
“I’m very grateful for everything I’ve experienced so far and full of energy to start a great season with the Portland Trail Blazers. (…) Let’s go with everything!”, he celebrated, at the time, on Instagram.
Remember the coach’s career
Born in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Splitter played professionally from 1999 to 2017 and made history in Spanish basketball, between 2005 and 2010, and with the San Antonio Spurs, becoming the first Brazilian NBA champion in 2014.
The Brazilian played in the world’s top basketball league between 2010 and 2017. In addition to the Spurs, he also played for the Atlanta Hawks between 2015 and February 2017, when he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
After years of facing physical problems, which even led to hip surgery in 2016, Splitter announced his retirement in February 2018, ten months after his last game.
Soon after, the former player began his career on the technical side. He was an assistant for the Brooklyn Nets, from 2019 to 2023, and the Houston Rockets, between 2023 and 2024, before moving to European basketball, as coach of Paris Basketball.
It was Splitter’s first experience as a head coach. At the time, he was already one of Alexsandar Petrovic’s assistant coaches on the Brazilian Basketball Team.
The Brazilian left his position in July of this year, after just under a year, after being hired by the Portland Trail Blazers project, taking on the role of assistant in October.
