Billy Donovan Steps Down as Bulls Head Coach

Billy Donovan has stepped down as Chicago Bulls head coach, leaving the team with a second major leadership vacancy in April. (nba.com) The Bulls announced the move Tuesday, April 21, and said Donovan, 60, is “stepping away” after six seasons on the bench. Chicago said it wanted him to stay and thanked him for leading the team through “a period of transition.” (nba.com) Donovan went 226-256 with Chicago from 2020-21 through 2025-26, with one playoff appearance and a 1-4 postseason record in the 2022 first round against Milwaukee. The Bulls finished this season 31-51 and missed the playoffs. (nba.com, espn.com, espn.com) His exit comes two weeks after the Bulls fired executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley, ending a six-year front-office run that produced one winning season. ESPN reported Donovan chose not to return on his option year after meetings with ownership. (nba.com, espn.com) ESPN reported Donovan did not want to be a holdover coach while the franchise searches for a new lead basketball executive. That leaves owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s organization looking for both a top decision-maker and the coach who would report to that person. (espn.com) Donovan arrived in September 2020 after five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder and replaced Jim Boylen. He signed an extension with Chicago in 2022 after leading the Bulls to a 46-36 record in his second season. (nba.com, nba.com) Before the National Basketball Association, Donovan built his reputation at Florida, where he won national titles in 2006 and 2007. Basketball Reference lists him as a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2025. (basketball-reference.com) Chicago now heads into the offseason without the coach it hired to stabilize the franchise in 2020. The next Bulls hire will come after a 31-win season and a full reset above the bench. (nba.com, espn.com)