Monday reports surfaced that former Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson officially retired as an NBA player to accept an assistant coach role on Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter’s coaching staff. SNY’s Ian Begley was first on the report, and later the Bulls officially announced the hiring of Gibson to Splitter’s coaching staff.
Bulls fan anticipation understandably mounted for a Taj Gibson, the player, homecoming to the Bulls when the New Orleans Pelicans announced on Wednesday that Gibson was waived by the franchise, making him an unrestricted free agent.
However, the Bulls braintrust of lead front office executive Bryson Graham and Splitter made the correct choice in offering him a Bulls coaching position rather than committing to a questionable use of a roster spot by signing Gibson to a player contract to fill the Bulls' final active roster spot.
The Bulls are now in a position to reap the full intangible benefits of Gibson’s locker room presence for a young, rebuilding Bulls roster while maintaining the asset flexibility of an open roster spot that becomes even more potent if combined with the Bulls’ $9.4 million room mid-level exception.
Taj Gibson commands respect
Gibson himself publicly announced his retirement on social media, and aside from obvious Bulls Nation praise, Gibson’s other principal NBA career footprints within the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks quickly chimed in with immense praise for Gibson’s player longevity and his transition to his coaching career.
The caliber of esteem Gibson commands across the NBA should quickly become a huge asset for him as his career focus transitions from bench minutes to bench accountability.
A full-circle culture reset
By returning to the Bulls organization in a coaching capacity, the Bulls have a great opportunity to completely sanitize a stale, mediocre Bulls basketball operations culture that took root via the previous Bulls front office led by Arturas Karnisovas.
Gibson, of course, came of age as a rookie in a Tom Thibodeau Bulls locker room that didn’t shy away from conflict in the name of accountability towards team goals.
Defense was non-negotiable in Gibson’s first eight years inside the Bulls organization. Spitter should be excited to lean on Gibson’s NBA experience to set a new, yet familiar standard for Bulls basketball that starts on the defensive end of the court.
Bulls fans should feel great about Gibson’s return to the Bulls because this move scratches all the nostalgia itches the Bulls typically like to push via marketing and public relations tactics. However, there is real basketball value in having Gibson’s coaching voice on Tiago Splitter’s bench for the 2026-27 NBA season.
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