When the Portland Trail Blazers needed to make an emergency coaching change after Chauncey Billups’ arrest in an FBI gambling investigation, they turned to their first-year assistant coach Tiago Splitter to take over as interim head coach on October 23, 2025. The move thrust a Brazilian basketball figure into one of the NBA’s most turbulent moments, and now the basketball world is getting to know the man stepping up to lead the team through the chaos.

Who is Tiago Splitter?

Tiago Splitter is a Brazilian professional basketball coach and former player born on January 1, 1985, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The 6-foot-11 former center enjoyed a successful playing career that spanned nearly two decades across multiple continents. He began his professional journey in 1999 before maki

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