Despite relatively mediocre results, the Chicago Bulls have re-upped with head coach Billy Donovan for the foreseeable future.
The winds of change once again avoid the Windy City.

Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the Chicago Bulls have signed head coach Billy Donovan to a multi-year extension, the latest coaching move of what has been an eventful NBA offseason. Donovan is set to enter his sixth season leading the running of the Bulls after defecting from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020.
With the extension, Donovan gets to keep his post as the third-longest-tenured active head coach in the NBA behind only Erik Spoelstra (Miami) and Steve Kerr (Golden State).
Through the first five tours, Donovan has amassed a 195-205 record and a single playoff appearance in the form of a five-game, first-round exit in 2022. More recently, the Bulls have been mainstays in the bottom portion of the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament: this time around, they placed ninth with a 39-43 record for the second straight season before falling to the 10th-ranked Miami Heat in the opening stage in April.
Charania’s report says that, despite the lack of results, the Bulls “value [Donovan’s] strong leadership across every level of the franchise.” The Bulls reportedly had to fight off competition for Donovan’s services, as the New York Knicks were said to be interested in having him succeed Tom Thibodeau after the latter’s ousting in June.
The Bulls have remained mostly the same despite another year of mediocrity, set to go into the future led by homegrown talent Coby White, who averaged a career-best 20.4 points last year. Chicago’s major offseason addition is French prospect Noa Essengue, whom they landed with the 12th pick of last month’s draft.
Despite his struggles with the Bulls, Donovan remains one of the more accomplished basketball head coaches in the new century, previously earning two national championships in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament with the Florida Gators. Notable NBA names to get their start under Donovan include Bradley Beal, Udonis Haslem, Al Horford, David Lee, Joakim Noah, and Jason Williams. Prior to Gainesville, Donovan also served at the helm of the Marshall Thundering Herd.
Donovan is also known for his accomplished collegiate career at Providence College under the watch of Rick Pitino, who later gave Donovan a brief playing career with the Knicks and his first coaching job as an assistant on his staff at Kentucky.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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