Billy Donovan is going from the play-in tournament to the reigning Western Conference champions.
The former Chicago Bulls head coach Donovan has agreed to a deal with the San Antonio Spurs, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Thursday. Charania adds that Donovan will be the lead assistant under Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.
Now 61 years old, Donovan (the former Florida champion head coach) had spent the last decade-plus as an NBA head coach. He coached the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015-20 and then coached the Chicago Bulls from 2020-26.
But Donovan stepped down as head coach of the Bulls this past April. That came after a 226-256 (.469) overall record and just one total playoff berth over six seasons in charge.
Now Donovan is set to join the Spurs, who just made it to the NBA Finals this past season before losing in five games to the New York Knicks. Donovan also has history with some prominent members of the San Antonio organization, including his familiarity with Gregg Popovich from the USA Basketball circuit.
The Spurs head coach Johnson, 39, did well to lead the team to a 62-win season and a Western Conference title but struggled down the stretch of the Finals with some very curious decisions. Now he has an immensely experienced figure in Donovan who will be serving as his new right-hand man.
