The Portland Trail Blazers have settled on a new head coach.
The Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori as their new head coach, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. He replaces Tiago Splitter, who served as interim coach last season.
Just in: The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Nori — widely regarded as one of the league's top assistants — has been in the NBA coaching ranks since 2009 and now takes over… pic.twitter.com/j5PDc5KlFF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2026
Nori has long been a top-tier head coaching candidate. He drew interest in both 2024 and 2025, but never landed a job elsewhere until now. He has been an NBA assistant since 2009 and has been the Timberwolves’ lead assistant since 2021. He drew significant attention in 2024, when he served as the on-court coach for the Timberwolves during the playoffs after Chris Finch injured his patella tendon and was consigned to crutches.
Nori was also a finalist for the Dallas Mavericks job before they ultimately went with Michigan head coach Dusty May.
The Blazers needed a new coach after Chauncey Billups was placed on leave in October amid an arrest over an alleged illegal gambling scheme. Splitter led Portland to a 42-39 record and a surprise playoff berth, but he took the Chicago Bulls job instead and seemed pretty pleased to be getting out of Portland.
Nori will have some talent at his disposal. Deni Avdija is coming off a breakout campaign, and Damian Lillard will be back from injury. There is a real chance that the team could take another step forward under Nori.
