Billy Donovan Steps Down as Bulls Coach

Billy Donovan has stepped down as Chicago Bulls head coach, ending his six-season run with the franchise on April 21. (nba.com) The Bulls said Donovan, 60, made the decision after “thoughtful and extensive discussions” with ownership, and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf called him “one of the finest people and coaches” he has known. (nba.com) Donovan leaves with a 226-256 regular-season record in Chicago and one playoff appearance, in 2022, when the Bulls lost 4-1 to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. (upi.com; espn.com) The timing lands in the middle of a broader reset. Earlier this month, the Bulls parted ways with executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley after another losing season. (nba.com) Chicago finished 31-51 in 2025-26 and missed the playoffs for a fourth straight year, extending a stretch of middling results that ownership had already said needed to change. (espn.com; nba.com) Michael Reinsdorf had said on April 7 that he wanted Donovan to remain coach while the team searched for a new basketball operations lead. Less than two weeks later, Donovan chose to leave instead of waiting through that transition. (nba.com; espn.com) Donovan was hired in September 2020 after five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder and built his reputation earlier at Florida, where he won NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025. (nba.com; basketball-reference.com) The Bulls now have two of the biggest jobs in the organization open at once: the top basketball executive role and the head coaching job. The next hire will shape whether Chicago keeps trying to compete around its current core or starts a deeper rebuild. (nba.com; chicagotribune.com)