The Portland Trail Blazers have hired longtime NBA assistant Micah Nori as their new head coach. Nori replaces recently-departed acting head coach Tiago Splitter, who served a single year as Portland’s lead after replacing suspended former coach Chauncey Billups at the start of the 2025-26 season.
Nori has served as an assistant coach for 17 consecutive years, beginning in 2009 with the Toronto Raptors, continuing with the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and most recently with the Minnesota
Timberwolves, with whom he spent the last five seasons.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported the news.
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 in Portland on a multiyear deal.
Length and term of the contract have not yet been disclosed.
Further augmentation to the story details the characteristics the Blazers valued in Nori:
Portland zeroed in on Nori due to his strong communication skills and relationship skills.
Presumably this brings a formal end to Billups’ association with the Portland franchise. He coached in Portland for four seasons.
