Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested on Thursday morning for allegedly being involved in a gambling scheme with the Italian mafia. As a result, the franchise is without a head coach and must name an interim for the time being.
Reports indicate that Tiago Splitter, who was one of Billups' assistant coaches, is stepping in as the interim head coach for the Blazers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Splitter's first game as the interim coach will be on Friday night when Portland takes on the Golden State Warriors.
“Portland Trail Blazers assistant Tiago Splitter will assume [the] head coaching position in the interim in place of Chauncey Billups, sources tell ESPN. Nate Bjorkgren was strongly considered by Portland, but decided it was best for the franchise for him to maintain his current role.”
Splitter, who is 40 years old, is a former NBA player who played for the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, and Phoenix Suns in a seven-year career. The former center was part of the 2014 Spurs team that won the NBA title that year. He ended his career averaging 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while owning a 55.5% field goal percentage and going 69.7% from the free throw line.
Tiago Splitter first got into coaching in 2019 when he was hired as an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets. He also helped coach the Houston Rockets and the Paris basketball team before landing a role with the Trail Blazers on Chauncey Billups' staff in the 2025 offseason.
As for Chauncey Billups, the Hall of Fame point guard turned head coach was placed on leave by the NBA. Terry Rozier, who is a point guard for the Miami Heat, was also placed on leave for his allegations.
