NEWSLETTER
Yes, I’m writing another post about Billy Donovan. The fact of the matter is that the ongoing buzz around him and Kentucky’s open coaching position is one of the most interesting Chicago Bulls storylines of the year.
Does that mean I’m convinced he’s on his way back to dominate the collegiate circuit? No. If we’re being honest, I’md pretty darn convinced Donovan will opt to stay in the NBA. The college game is an entirely different animal these days, and he’s locked into a pretty comfortable gig in Chicago (whether that should be the case is an entirely different discussion, by the way).
Still, I can understand why reports suggest that Kentucky will try to make it a difficult no for Donovan. His college coaching resume is among the best we’ve ever seen, and I thought we might as well review that with his future currently a big talking point.
Below is a look at what Donovan was able to accomplish during his illustrious college coaching career, as well as how he’s performed since making a move to the NBA.
Billy Donovan’s College Coaching Resume
It’s not an understatement to say that Billy Donovan is one of the best head coaches in NCAA history. He became a tournament staple during his time at the University of Florida, building the program into one of the country’s true juggernauts.
He first started his college coaching career at – coincidentally – the University of Kentucky. He was an assistant under legendary head coach Rick Pitino from 1984 to 1994. The program’s success led to Donovan landing the head coaching job at Marshall University. He spent two seasons with the Thundering Herd, going 35-20 before Flordia quickly called his name.
Not known for their basketball prowess, the first two years with the Gators started slow. Donovan went 13-17 in his first year before finishing 14-15 in Year 2. Then, the iconic run started. Donovan led the Gators to a 22-9 record during the 1998-99 season and ran all the way to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. He followed that up with a 29-win campaign and a trip to the NCAA Championship, where his squad ultimately lost to Michigan State.
Florida would go on to string together 16 straight seasons with at least 20 wins. Donovan would also make 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, which included back-to-back national titles in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Future long-time NBA bigs like Joakim Noah and Al Horford were part of those squads. Donovan is one of only four coaches to win consecutive championships since 1965 (UConn’s Dan Hurley joined the mix on Monday night).
Billy Donovan wouldn’t finish under .500 again until his final year with the school in 2014-15 when they went just 16-17. Overall, his Gators career ended with a ridiculous 467-186 record – aka a 71.5 win percentage.
Billy Donovan’s NBA Coaching Resume
NBA teams paid plenty of attention to Billy Donovan over his 19 years with Florida. After his two championships, the Orlando Magic were finally able to pry him away from the college game. Donovan signed on to be their head coach during the 2007 offseason, but he immediately got cold feet.
The young head coach worked with the Magic to have his contract voided so he could return to Gainsville. Florida proceeded to make him the highest-paid head coach in college basketball, and he remained there until the Oklahoma City Thunder called in 2015. More on Donovan’s VERY short stint with the Magic here.
Donovan left again for the pros after the Oklahoma City Thunder fired long-time leader Scott Brooks. He agreed to a five-year deal with the franchise and immediately found himself in charge of one of the most talented rosters in the league. The Thunder went 55-27 and ended up in the Western Conference Finals during Donovan’s first year, losing to the Golden State Warriors in seven games.
| RECORD | PLAYOFFS | |
| OKC | 55-27 | WCF L (3-4) |
| OKC | 47-35 | Round 1 L (1-4) |
| OKC | 48-34 | Round 1 L (2-4) |
| OKC | 49-33 | Round 1 L (1-4) |
| OKC | 44-28 | Round 1 L (3-4) |
| CHI | 31-41 | N/A |
| CHI | 46-36 | Round 1 L (1-4) |
| CHI | 40-42 | Play-In L (Game 2) |
| CHI | 37-41 | TBD |
The team would win at least 44 games and make the playoffs in each of the next four seasons. Unfortunately, Donovan would also watch his squad lose in the first round in each of those years. While that sounds bad, he was still considered to be among the NBA’s best coaches in large part due to his flexibility. Once Kevin Durant left, he helped build a new identity around Russell Westbrook and eventually Paul George. We also saw him take the 2019-20 Thunder to the postseason despite many counting them out early on with an aging Chris Paul and 21-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
With the Thunder looking to revamp, however, Donovan decided it was time to leave the organization. He ended his time in OKC with a 243-157 record (60.8).
The Bulls’ new front office was able to swoop in during their own revamp and hire Donovan to replace Jim Boylen. While the move was largely praised at the time, it has struggled to live up to the hype. If Donovan were to leave today, it would mark the first time his tenure with a team didn’t end with an above-.500 record. The Bulls are just 154-160 under his watchful eye, and they’ve now clinched back-to-back losing seasons. This will be Donovan’s first time having consecutive losing campaigns since his first two years in Florida (1996-1998).
