The Chicago Bulls and head coach Billy Donovan have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
Donovan finished his fifth season in Chicago with a 39-43 record and a No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference. That qualified the Bulls for the play-in tournament, where they lost to the Miami Heat, 112-91. He had one season remaining on his current contract.
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As Bulls head coach, Donovan has compiled a 195-205 record, winning 40 or more games twice. Chicago has made the playoffs once during his stint, losing a first-round series in four games to the Milwaukee Bucks. Overall in his NBA career, including five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Donovan has a 438-362 record.
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The Bulls and Donovan began discussions on a new contract after last season ended, according to Charania. The New York Knicks expressed interest in Donovan after firing Tom Thibodeau, but were denied permission to speak with him regarding their opening.
Prior to last season, Donovan had also been attached to the opening at Kentucky, following the departure of John Calipari.
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Donovan was an assistant in Lexington from 1989-94 under then-head coach Rick Pitino. He became the head coach at Florida, where he advanced to four Final Fours over 19 seasons and won consecutive national championships in 2006 and 2007. Kentucky eventually hired Mark Pope, a member of the Wildcats’ 1996 national title team.
This fall, Donovan will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame based on his accomplishments as a college basketball coach.
Injuries have played a major role in the Bulls’ lack of success under Donovan. Guard Lonzo Ball was limited to 35 games in 2021-22 and hadn’t played during the previous two seasons due to a left knee injury that has required two surgeries.
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Last season, Patrick Williams had season-ending foot surgery in February. And Zach LaVine appeared in only 25 games due to a foot injury that required a surgical procedure. The two-time All-Star also had knee surgery after the 2021-22 season.
Donovan’s extension comes after VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley received new contracts with the Bulls in June.
