Tiago Splitter on Houston Rockets, Baskonia, EuroLeague, becoming coach, Brazil’s basketball future

EurohooPOD

From being one of the best EuroLeague centers with Baskonia to winning an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs and then becoming an NBA coach, Tiago Splitter is having quite a journey. The Houston Rockets assistant coach and EuroLeague great joins Antonis Stroggylakis and Cesari Milanti on the EurohooPOD to reflect on his very successful career as a player, his days with Baskonia, the Final Four trips, the EuroLeague title that never arrived, Dusko Ivanovic, the San Antonio Spurs and the Brazilian national team. Splitter talks about the Rockets and breaks down the ambitions of the team under Ime Udoka, Alperen Sengun’s development and emergence as a star of the squad as well as his own role in helping Houston reach its goals. He also discusses how Gregg Popovich influenced him, comments on the 2013 NBA Finals and a… foul that could’ve changed the Spurs – Heat series outcome.

(1:50) His current role with the Houston Rockets (4:00) Contending for the NBA Playoffs (5:48) Transition from player to coach (8:22) Learnings he got from Pop (13:05) Up by three… foul or not? (15:30) Catching up with Baskonia’s action (18:00) Dusko Ivanovic’s magic (20:41) That 2004-05 team (22:37) Trading the NBA Championship for a EuroLeague title (24:15) His beloved relationship with Luis Scola (26:45) Can Brazil turn into what Argentina was back in the day? (30:44) The fast-learner Alperen Sengun (36:19) Praising Yago dos Santos and Bruno Caboclo (39:12) Raul Neto would have been huge for Fenerbahce (41:20) What keeps Marcelinho Huertas going?