Spurs Ex Tiago Splitter Hired to Coach Division Rival

Tiago Splitter played for the San Antonio Spurs from 2010-15. Now, he is coaching the Houston Rockets.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 24, 2023

Spurs Ex Tiago Splitter Hired to Coach Division Rival /

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San Antonio Spurs

Former San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter has a new job in the NBA.

According to The Athletic's Kelly Iko, the Rockets are close to hiring Splitter as an assistant coach under Ime Udoka.

Splitter, 38, played with the Spurs from 2010-15 and started 18 games during San Antonio's championship run in 2014. After playing one season each with the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers, the Brazilian big man retired from the NBA. Just two years later, Splitter was back in the league as a coach for the Brooklyn Nets, where he's been on staff since 2019.

Udoka played with Splitter during the 2010-11 season, the latter's first in the NBA. Then, the pair were assistants in Brooklyn under Steve Nash during the 2020-21 season before Udoka left the team to coach the Boston Celtics.

Udoka only coached the Celtics for a year before he was suspended indefinitely and later relieved of his duties following a breach of the team's code of conduct. In late April, the Rockets hired Udoka to replace Stephen Silas, who was fired after three seasons on the job.

Now in Houston, Udoka looks to pick up where he left off in Boston and he'll do it with his former San Antonio teammate by his side.

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Published Jun 24, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.