Billy Donovan Steps Down as Bulls Coach
- Longtime NBA coach Billy Donovan has left his role with the Chicago Bulls after five seasons. - The 60-year-old Hall of Famer was hired before the 2020 season amid team struggles. - His departure signals potential rebuild as Bulls seek new leadership (patch.com).
Billy Donovan stepped down as Chicago Bulls coach on April 21, ending a six-season run with the team. (nba.com) The Bulls said Donovan, 60, made the decision after “thoughtful and extensive discussions” with ownership, and the team said it wanted him to remain in the job. ESPN reported Donovan held an option for the 2026-27 season and chose to walk away after meetings with ownership last week. (nba.com) (espn.com) Donovan finished with 226 wins in Chicago, fourth-most in franchise history, according to ESPN. His Bulls teams went 226-185? No — ESPN’s season-by-season record shows 226 wins is the franchise mark cited by the team story, while his six Chicago seasons ended with one playoff appearance, in 2022, and a 31-51 record in 2025-26. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The move came one day after Chicago fired executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley, leaving the franchise without its top basketball decision-makers or its head coach. Bulls president and chief executive Michael Reinsdorf said Monday the team would begin a search for new front-office leadership. (nbcchicago.com) (chicagotribune.com) That sequence turns Donovan’s exit into more than a coaching change. Chicago is resetting its basketball operation after missing the 2026 playoffs and posting its fourth straight season below.500 since its 46-36 finish in 2021-22. (espn.com) (sports.yahoo.com) Donovan was hired in September 2020 after five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder and two national titles at Florida. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025. (nba.com) (sportingnews.com) Chicago had signed Donovan to a contract extension in July 2025 after five seasons and one playoff berth. Less than nine months later, he said he was stepping aside so “the new leader” could build a staff without inheriting him. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The Bulls now need a new front office and a new coach in the same offseason, with the draft and free agency ahead. Donovan’s departure closes the last major piece of the previous regime. (nbcchicago.com) (sports.yahoo.com)
