You’ve seen the face. That slightly worried, hyper-intense stare from the sidelines of the United Center or the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Billy Donovan looks like a guy who is constantly trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube in his head while a building burns down around him.
Honestly? That’s kind of exactly what being an NBA head coach is like.
If you follow the Chicago Bulls right now, you know the vibe is complicated. It's January 2026, and the Bulls are hovering around that 19-22 mark. They’re 10th in the East. Fans are doing that thing where they scream for a rebuild on Twitter (or X, whatever) every time the team loses a close one to Brooklyn. Yet, the front office just doubled down on him with a multiyear extension last summer.
Why? Because Billy Donovan basketball coach is a label that carries a lot more weight in coaching circles than it does on sports talk radio. To the casual observer, he’s a guy who hasn't won a title since 2007. To the people running NBA franchises, he’s one of the few "adults in the room" who can actually manage the ego-driven chaos of a modern locker room.
The Florida Peak: When Billy Was King
People forget how terrifying those Florida Gator teams were. We’re talking 2006 and 2007. Back-to-back national championships. Nobody does that. Seriously—it hadn't been done since Duke in the early 90s, and it hasn't been done since.
He had Joakim Noah, Al Horford, and Corey Brewer. It wasn't just that they were talented; it was that they were mean. Donovan’s "06 and '07 squads played a brand of full-court, ball-pressure basketball that felt like a swarm of bees.
He didn't just recruit talent; he convinced a bunch of future multi-millionaires to stay in school for another year to win a second ring. That’s unheard of today. If a kid breathes near the rim in the NCAA now, he’s in the transfer portal or the draft by Tuesday. Donovan had that "it" factor that made elite athletes want to run through walls for him.
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The NBA Transition: Luck and Lack Thereof
When he finally made the jump to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015, he walked into a dream and a nightmare. He had Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. He was one win away from the NBA Finals in his first year. One win! They were up 3-1 on that 73-win Warriors team.
Then Klay Thompson happened. Then Durant left for the team that just beat them.
Basically, Donovan spent the rest of his OKC tenure trying to fix a plane while it was mid-flight. He coached Russ through his triple-double seasons, then he coached Paul George, then he took a "rebuilding" Chris Paul team to the playoffs when everyone thought they’d be bottom feeders.
He won the NBCA Coach of the Year in 2020. That’s the one voted on by his peers. Think about that. The guys he’s coaching against every night thought he was the best in the business, even if the fans were frustrated by a first-round exit.
The Bulls Era: The "Middle" Ground
Now he's in Chicago. It’s been a grind.
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| Season | Record | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 31-41 | The transition year |
| 2021-22 | 46-36 | The Lonzo Ball "What If" season |
| 2022-23 | 40-42 | Play-in exit |
| 2023-24 | 39-43 | Lost in play-in |
| 2024-25 | 39-43 | Another play-in run |
It’s easy to look at those numbers and say, "Meh." But you've gotta look at the roster turnover. DeRozan is gone. LaVine has been in and out of trade rumors for three years. Lonzo Ball's knee basically became a national tragedy.
Donovan has pivoted the Bulls to a faster, high-volume three-point shooting team lately. They’re pushing the pace, sitting near the top 5 in the league for tempo. He’s leaning into Josh Giddey as the primary playmaker and trying to turn Matas Buzelis into a real NBA threat.
He’s a developmental coach now. That’s the shift.
Why the Hall of Fame Matters
In 2025, Billy was finally inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. It was a "give him his flowers" moment. During his speech, he thanked Sam Presti and Clay Bennett. He didn't sound like a guy bitter about his OKC exit.
That authenticity is why players like Udonis Haslem—who literally said he committed to Florida just because of Billy—still talk about him like a father figure.
Donovan once said in a coaching clinic that your purpose can’t be about trophies or financial security. It has to be about the "process" of who you’re becoming. Sounds a bit like "coach-speak," right? Maybe. But when you’ve got 800+ NBA games under your belt and two NCAA rings, people tend to listen to the fluff.
The Reality of the "Billy Donovan Basketball Coach" Reputation
Is he a tactical genius like Erik Spoelstra? Maybe not. Is he a master of the "culture" game like Steve Kerr? Not quite.
But he is a survivor.
He survived the pressure of replacing a legend at Florida. He survived the post-KD fallout in OKC. He’s currently surviving the most mediocre stretch of Bulls basketball in a decade.
He’s the guy who humiliated Matas Buzelis in front of the team recently to toughen him up. He’s also the guy who admitted in his debut that Kevin Durant knew more about guarding Kawhi Leonard than he ever could. That humility is rare in the NBA.
What to Watch for Next
If you’re following the Bulls for the rest of this 2026 season, don’t look at the win-loss column. That ship has sort of sailed for this year.
Look at the player development.
- Watch the defensive rotations: Donovan is obsessed with "playing without the ball." If the young guys start clicking on defense, that's his fingerprints.
- The Giddey Factor: How Donovan uses Josh Giddey as a 6'8" point guard will define the Bulls' identity for the next three years.
- The Tempo: They are playing fast. If they stay in the top 5 for pace, it means the locker room hasn't quit on the vision.
Next Steps for Fans:
Stop checking the playoff standings and start watching the fourth-quarter lineups. Donovan is experimenting. He’s got the contract security to fail a little bit right now so he can succeed later. If you want to understand his value, watch how the rookies respond to his "tough love" coaching in the post-game pressers. That’s where the real work is happening.