Billy Donovan Secures His Future with the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan has signed a multi-year contract extension with the franchise, according to sources close to the team.
Negotiations between the Bulls and Donovan began at the end of last season and continued throughout the offseason, including Donovan’s brief consideration by the New York Knicks, as well as the draft, free agency, and summer league.
Despite the challenges the team has faced under his direction, the organization values Donovan’s leadership at all levels.
Donovan will enter his sixth season in Chicago in 2025-26, with 800 NBA games coached throughout his career. His record in Chicago is 195-205, and his overall record as an NBA head coach is 438-362 in 10 seasons.
Donovan, who had one year remaining on his contract, led the Bulls to a 39-43 record for the second consecutive season, finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference and losing in the play-in tournament for the third consecutive year.
The Bulls have had only one playoff appearance in the last five seasons.
Before his move to the NBA, Donovan won two national championships with the University of Florida. He will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during ceremonies on September 5-6 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
He left college basketball to coach the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015 before joining the Bulls in 2020.
Donovan began his career as an assistant coach at Kentucky under Rick Pitino from 1989 to 1993.
