Donovan guided the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs in each of his five seasons with the franchise
Wednesday 23 September 2020 08:23, UK
The Chicago Bulls have appointed Billy Donovan as their new head coach.
Donovan left the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in September after five years with the franchise, during which he guided them to the playoffs in each season.
He replaces Jim Boylen, who was fired by the Bulls in August after they missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
Donovan is the first Bulls head coach to be appointed by executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, who was appointed in April.
"We are very pleased to welcome Billy and his family to the Chicago Bulls. The success that he has sustained over the course of his coaching career puts him on a different level," Karnisovas said.
"We feel his ability to help his players reach their potential, both individually and collectively, will mesh well with our roster. Whether as a player or as a coach, he has won everywhere his career has taken him, and we hope that will continue here in Chicago."
Donovan, who came in third in NBA Coach of the Year voting this season, mutually agreed to leave the Thunder after Oklahoma City lost Game 7 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series to the Houston Rockets.
The 55-year-old had completed the five-year deal with the Thunder that he signed in April 2015.
Once Donovan became available, he was "aggressively pursued" by Karnisovas, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
"I want to thank Jerry, Michael, Arturas and Marc for the opportunity to coach the Chicago Bulls," Donovan said.
"I also want to thank them for the time and effort they put into this hiring process. I'm excited to partner with Arturas as we work together on behalf of this historic franchise."
Under Donovan, the Thunder were 243-157 (.608). His winning percentage trails only Nick Nurse (.721), Steve Kerr (.709) and Gregg Popovich (.675) among active coaches.
In his first season in Oklahoma City, he led the Thunder to a 55-27 record and a berth in the Western Conference finals, which they lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games.
Donovan spent the previous 19 years as the head coach at the University of Florida. His teams were 467-186 (.715), and the Gators won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and '07. The Gators also went to the Final Four in 2000, and again in 2014, and had 16 straight wins with 20 or more wins and three with 30 or more wins.