Bulls part ways with Billy Donovan: Why veteran head coach is stepping away from Chicago after six seasons

Bulls part ways with Billy Donovan: Why veteran head coach is stepping away from Chicago after six seasons originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Bulls will be looking for a new head coach this offseason.

Billy Donovan is parting ways with the Bulls, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday, with the veteran coach making the decision to leave after six seasons.

Donovan, elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025, is expected to continue pursuing coaching as a two-time college national champion.

Here's what to know about Donovan's exit from Chicago.

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Why is Billy Donovan leaving the Bulls?

After his time in college, including back-to-back titles at Florida, Donovan has been coaching in the NBA since 2015. He led the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015-20, then was hired by the Bulls in 2020. Now, he's exiting the franchise after six seasons, only one of which resulted in a playoff appearance.

Donovan made the decision to leave the Bulls this offseason despite the team wanting him to return, per Charania. The coach had an option in his contract for the 2026-27 season and "elected to step down after extensive meetings with team ownership in the last week." Part of his decision was wanting the Bulls to fully reset this offseason, providing "the ability for the organization to undergo its front office search and allow their new top basketball executive to make the next coaching hire," according to Charania.