Former Gators and Oklahoma City Thunder coach Billy Donovan, who won back-to-back national titles while at Florida, has accepted the head coaching position with the Chicago Bulls, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday night.
Donovan left Florida after 19 years for the Thunder job in 2015, and in five seasons in Oklahoma City, he led them to five-straight NBA playoff appearances.
But the franchise was looking for a change after a disappointing first-round exit in the 2020 playoffs, and it chose not to renew Donovan’s contract.
Donovan was reportedly the Bulls top target, and they “aggressively pursued” his coaching services.
On Aug. 14, the Bulls dismissed coach Jim Boylen after he achieved just a 39-84 record in two seasons. Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2016-17 season, and it has won less than 30 games in each of the three seasons since.
The Bulls have a young roster, and they believe Donovan, who has a strong track record at the college level and a 243-157 record in the professional ranks, is the one to lead one of the NBA’s most prolific franchises back to its glory days.
[lawrence-related id=23817,23599,21202,20819,20755]
[vertical-gallery id=20955]