The Portland Trail Blazers will elevate Tiago Splitter to interim head coach during the indefinite leave of Chauncey Billups. Billups was arrested early Thursday morning as part of a federal investigation into illegal gambling.
Splitter spent last season as head coach of Paris Basketball and was hired by the Blazers as assistant coach this past offseason. Splitter previously worked as a player development coach for several seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and then an assistant coach for one season with the Houston Rockets under Ime Udoka.
Splitter led Paris Basketball to winning the French championship and the French Cup last season.
The Blazers also strongly considered Nate Bjorkgren for the role.