Chicago Bulls name Billy Donovan head coach

Billy Donovan (Google Images)

The Chicago Bulls have named Billy Donovan of Rockville Centre, New York the 24th head coach in the history of the franchise on Tuesday. The Bulls are the second National Basketball Association team that Donovan has been the head coach for. He previously coached the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015 to 2020.

In exactly 400 games coaching the Thunder in the regular season from 2015 to 2020, Donovan had a record of 243 wins and 157 losses for a winning percentage of .608. He also has coached in 41 playoff games, and had a record of 18 wins and 23 losses.

Donovan reached the playoffs in every season coaching the Thunder, and got to the Western Conference Finals in 2016, where the Thunder lost in a tight seven-game series to the Golden State Warriors. In the 2016 NBA Playoffs, the Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the Western Conference quarterfinals, and the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the Western Conference semifinals.

Despite winning the National Basketball Coaches Association coach of the year award in 2020, Donovan mutually parted ways with Thunder management at the end of Oklahoma City’s 2019-20 season. The Thunder had exceeded expectations this past year as they had a record of 44 wins and 28 losses. Many expected Oklahoma City to miss the playoffs when they traded Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets.

Donovan is also known for his outstanding success as a coach at the NCAA level. With the Gators he won two national championships in back-to-back years. The first came in 2006 and 2007. As a player, Donovan played one season with the New York Knicks in 1987-88.

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