Billy Donovan is out as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.
The longtime NBA head coach, who had been leading the Bulls franchise for six seasons, is officially exiting. Donovan will not return as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 2026-27. This past season was his final one in Chicago.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news.
"BREAKING: Billy Donovan is exiting as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after six seasons, sources tell ESPN," he reported on Tuesday.
Winslow Townson/Getty Images
Donovan, 60, had previously served as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. After leading Florida to back-to-back national championships at the collegiate level, Donovan joined the NBA ranks in 2015.
He led the Thunder from 2015-20 and later the Bulls from 2020 through 2026.
Donovan was linked to some college basketball jobs this offseason, with North Carolina reportedly expressing interest. However, the Tar Heels ultimately hired former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
It's unclear what Donovan's plan is for his coaching future.
The Bulls wanted Donovan back, but he declined
According to ESPN, Donovan elected to pursue the opt-out in his contract.
"The Bulls made clear that the organization wanted Donovan back after making sweeping changes to their front office, but Donovan held an option in his contract for next season and elected to step down after extensive meetings with team ownership in the last week, sources told ESPN," Charania reported.
The Bulls were very high on Donovan even after some struggling seasons.
"If I interview someone and they're not sold on Billy, they're not sold on a Hall of Fame coach," Bulls CEO and president Michael Reinsdorf said earlier this month. "They're not sold on a person who's won championships in college, who's gone deep in the playoffs with Oklahoma City. ... If Billy wants to be our coach and someone's not interested in that, then they're probably not the right candidate for us."
