Taj Gibson Retires, Joins Bulls Coaching Staff

At 41, after a September 2026 trade to the New Orleans Pelicans, Taj Gibson retired on Sept. 14 rather than play an 18th NBA season. He had become the 35th player in league history to appear in a game while in his 40s. ESPN's Shams Charania reported he will join the Chicago Bulls as an assistant under new head coach Tiago Splitter. Gibson wrote: "Today is a very emotional day for me. After 17 seasons in the NBA, I can honestly say I gave this game everything I had." He said basketball let a kid from Brooklyn live a dream from Fort Greene Projects to USC to the Bulls and beyond, added he wanted to be the teammate others could count on for toughness, energy, leadership and heart, and declared "this isn't goodbye to Basketball. It's the beginning of a new chapter." Drafted 26th by Chicago in 2009, he played 1,012 games across eight teams, averaged 8.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, earned All-Rookie honors, and was Sixth Man runner-up in 2013-14. Karl-Anthony Towns publicly acknowledged him. Splitter, hired in summer 2026 after Marc Eversley and Artūras Karnišovas were fired, said in June: "I can guarantee you one thing: we are going to compete every night, and we are going to have high standards with everything we do." No contested facts identified. Outlets differ only in emphasis.