Chicago Bulls, coach Billy Donovan agree to contract extension, per report
Donovan, who has been the Bulls' coach since 2020-21, is 195-205 in his five seasons with Chicago and is entering his 11th season as NBA coach, spending his first five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Bulls were 39-43 last season and finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. They lost to the Miami Heat in the play-in game. Chicago has been to the playoffs once under Donovan – a first-round loss to Milwaukee after going 46-36 in 2021-22.
Donovan won two NCAA men's basketball national titles at Florida in 2006 and 2007 and played in a Final Four in 2014. He took the Oklahoma City job in 2015 and has been in the NBA since.
Why did Billy Donovan get a contract extension?
The Bulls like stability, and Donovan provides that with his coaching and relationships with players, front office and ownership. Donovan enjoys coaching in the NBA and living in Chicago.
The two sides have been working on extension for months, and at the trade deadline in February, Donovan told reporters, "I want to be part of building something."
The New York Knicks requested permission to speak with Donovan about their previously open head coaching position but were denied.
Which direction are the Bulls headed?
As the Eastern Conference improves with teams such as the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic moving toward deep playoff runs alongside Cleveland, New York, Indiana, Milwaukee and Boston, the Bulls seem stuck in neutral. They were 39-43 in 2023-24 and 40-42 in 2022-23.
They have tried to make playoff runs with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nik Vucevic, Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball. Injuries, especially Ball missing two seasons, derailed Chicago's plans, and only Vucevic remains on the roster.
Chicago has young talent it is trying to develop, including Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 pick in the 2024 draft, and Noa Essengue, the No. 12 pick in the 2025 draft. They are also working to bring back restricted free agent Josh Giddey on a long-term deal.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nikola Jokić cries tears of joy, takes champagne shower after his horse wins race in Serbia
Much was made about Nikola Jokić's stoic reaction to winning the 2023 NBA championship. This is not that. Jokić, whose love of his horses is well-documented, watched one of them win a race in his home country of Serbia on Sunday. Arena Sport TV documented the action and Jokić's reaction in a video that the Nuggets shared Sunday afternoon. Jokić let the emotions fly. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] After his horse crossed the finish line, Jokić put his head in his hands in tears. He then hopped a fence to access the track, still in tears as he approached his horse and his jockey with his arms wide open. He then shared a hug with the jockey and gave his horse a pat on the back. The tears kept flowing as he walked with his team to the celebration circle. There, Jokić was in charge of the magnum bottle of champagne. He popped the cork, then sprayed down his team, horse included. He then proceeded to pour champagne on the heads of his team members while saving the final champagne shower for himself. It was a display of unbridled joy. Cue up Jokić's stoic reaction in the immediate aftermath of leading the Denver Nuggets to the NBA championship in 2023: "It's good," Jokić told ESPN when asked how it feels to win his first championship. "The job is done. We can go home now." This reaction resulted in jokes about how much Jokić does or doesn't care about basketball. Which were, of course, silly. Jokić has been the best basketball player in the world for several years running. He's a three-time MVP and a two-time Olympic medalist in addition to being an NBA champion. Of course he cares about about basketball. A lot. One doesn't reach his level without caring. And he did let his guard down in the ensuing celebrations in the Nuggets locker room ... : ... and again during Denver's championship parade: But it's fair to say that Jokić's love for his horses and their racing success holds an unparalleled place in his heart. Nothing — at least in public — seems to come close.
USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 21 - Antoine Wright (2005-08)
The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the "New Jersey Americans". Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today. To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise's jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 22nd of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 21, which has has had a total of 26 players wear the number in the history of the team. The 15th of those players wearing No. 21 played in the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets era, wing alum Antoine Wright. After ending his college career at Texas A&M, Wright was picked up with the 15th overall selection of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Nets. The West Covina, California native would play parts of the first three seasons of his pro career with New Jersey before he was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks in 2008. During his time suiting up for the Nets, Wright wore only jersey No. 21 and put up 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
Golden State Warriors jersey history - No. 19 - George Dempsey (1951-58)
The Golden State Warriors have had over 600 players don the more than 60 jersey numbers used by their players over the more than 75 years of existence the team has enjoyed in its rich and storied history. Founded in 1946 during the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- a precursor league of the NBA) era, the team has called home the cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, and even San Diego. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Warriors Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. For this article, we begin with the sixth of 13 players who wore the No. 19 jersey for the Warriors. That player would be Golden State guard alum George Dempsey. After ending his college career at King's College, Dempsey was picked up with the 69th overall selection (there were many more rounds in that era of the draft) of the 1951 NBA Draft by the(then) Philadelphia (now, Golden State) Warriors. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native played most of his five seasons in the league with the Dubs, leaving the team in his last season after he was dealt to the (then) Syracuse Nationals (now, Philadelphia 76ers) in 1958. During his time suiting up for the Warriors, Dempsey wore only jersey Nos. 19 and 5 and put up 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
