Billy Donovan Steps Down As Bulls Coach

Billy Donovan stepped down as Chicago Bulls head coach on April 21, ending a six-season run with the team. (nba.com) The Bulls said Donovan, 60, made the decision after discussions with ownership about the franchise’s future. Donovan said he wanted “the search process to unfold” so a new leader could build a staff. (nba.com) Chicago went 226-256 under Donovan from 2020-21 through 2025-26, and his 226 wins rank fourth in franchise history. The Bulls finished 31-51 this season and missed the Play-In Tournament after reaching it in each of the previous three years. (nba.com) (espn.com) The timing lands in the middle of a larger reset in Chicago’s front office. Earlier this month, the Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, and team president Michael Reinsdorf said the next basketball chief needed to be “sold on Billy” as coach. (espn.com) That made Donovan’s exit more than a routine coaching change. The Bulls now need both a new basketball operations leader and a new head coach after a 2025-26 season built around one of the league’s younger cores. (espn.com) (nba.com) Donovan arrived in September 2020 after five playoff trips in five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chicago gave him a multiyear extension in July 2025, but ESPN reported that his contract included an option for next season that he chose not to exercise. (apnews.com) (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) His résumé reaches well beyond Chicago. Donovan was selected for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025 after winning two National Collegiate Athletic Association titles at Florida and making four Final Fours in 19 seasons there. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Owner Jerry Reinsdorf called Donovan “one of the finest people and coaches” he has worked with, and the team said it respected his choice to step away. The next move belongs to a Bulls organization that has to decide who will shape the roster and who will coach it next. (nba.com)