Iisalo vs Splitter : historic NBA duel in Paris

Published on December 8, 2025

On Sunday night, the last two coaches of Paris Basketball—Tuomas Iisalo and Tiago Splitter—faced off in the NBA. This was a first in the history of French basketball.

What pride for Paris! Eight months after Tuomas Iisalo joined the Memphis Grizzlies, our French champion Tiago Splitter became head coach in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers. And a few hours after Paris Basketball’s big win over Saint-Quentin on Sunday (99-69), the two former coaches faced each other for the first time in an NBA game.

At home, Memphis inflicted a severe 30-10 defeat on Portland in the first quarter, thanks in particular to their efficiency near the basket. This up-tempo play, coupled with obvious physical superiority, then allowed the Grizzlies to bring the score to 62-39 shortly before the break. But with a big run at the start of the third quarter (21-6), the Blazers came back to within two possessions. That was the moment Tuomas Iisalo’s team chose to make a final decisive push (119-96).

Just seven years after its creation, Paris Basketball is already seeing two of its former coaches face off in an NBA matchup at the top of the Western Conference.

A tremendous achievement for our club !