Billy Donovan Steps Down As Chicago Bulls Head Coach After Six Seasons

Billy Donovan stepped down as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after six seasons, with the team announcing the decision Tuesday.

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Axios

ESPN reported that the Bulls wanted Donovan to remain in Chicago after “making sweeping changes to the front office,” but Donovan held an option in his contract for next season and “elected to step down after extensive meetings with team ownership in the past week, sources told ESPN.”

CBC

In Donovan’s statement released by the team, he said, “After a series of thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership regarding the future of the organization, I have decided to step away as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, to allow the search process to unfold,” and added, “I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit.”

Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said, “We wanted Billy to continue as our head coach -- that was never in question,” while also emphasizing that “giving our new Head of Basketball Operations the right to build out his staff was the most important thing for the future of this franchise.”

The Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on April 6 after a six-year run produced just one playoff appearance, according to ESPN.

Multiple outlets tied the timing to the franchise reset, with CBC saying Donovan resigned “after six seasons, opting to step aside rather than work with a new front office.”

The Donovan departure sits inside a broader front-office shakeup that began with the Bulls firing executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on April 6, a move ESPN described as part of “sweeping changes to the front office.”

ESPN said Donovan met with Bulls ownership “over the last week” and was offered to remain in Chicago “for as long as he wanted,” even in a new managerial capacity, before he “elected to step down.”

CBS Sports

CBC reported that President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf made it clear after the April 6 firings that he wanted Donovan to remain on the job, and Reinsdorf said that anyone seeking to bring in a new coach was “probably not the right candidate for us.”

In ESPN’s account, Bulls CEO and president Michael Reinsdorf framed the decision as respecting the process of bringing in new Basketball Operations leadership, saying, “Together, we mutually agreed that giving that person the freedom to shape the organization was the best approach for everyone involved.”

The Cleveland local report added that Donovan “elected not to exercise his contract option for the 2026-27 season on Tuesday,” and said the separation came “amid a broader reset” after the Bulls dismissed Karnisovas and Eversley on April 6.

USA Today similarly described the contract option year and said Donovan decided to leave the position after the team fired Karnisovas and Eversley, while quoting Reinsdorf’s statement that “giving our new Head of Basketball Operations the right to build out his staff was the most important thing for the future of this franchise.”

The Bulls’ leadership and Donovan each offered direct language about the separation, while other outlets emphasized the franchise’s rationale for the reset.

“Billy Donovan steps down as Bulls coach after six seasons: What's next for Chicago as team gets a fresh start”

CBS Sports

ESPN quoted Donovan’s statement that he decided “to step away as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, to allow the search process to unfold,” and it also included his line, “I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit.”

ESPN also carried Jerry Reinsdorf’s view that “We wanted Billy to continue as our head coach -- that was never in question,” and Michael Reinsdorf’s explanation that “we had open dialogue about the importance of respecting the process of bringing in new Basketball Operations leadership.”

CBC echoed that framing by quoting Reinsdorf’s statement in a news release: “While we clearly wanted Billy to return as our head coach, we had open dialogue about the importance of respecting the process of bringing in new basketball operations leadership,” and added, “Together, we mutually agreed that giving that person the freedom to shape the organization was the best approach for everyone involved.”

The Chicago Tribune reported that Reinsdorf praised Donovan as “one of the finest people and coaches I have had the privilege of knowing and working with,” and said Donovan “brought class and genuine care to this organization that made a real impact on people.”

Even as the team moved on, Donovan’s statement in CBS Sports included a personal note of gratitude, saying, “My gratitude for this community and this organization is permanent.”

While the core facts of Donovan stepping down after six seasons were consistent, outlets diverged in how they framed the underlying story and what they highlighted as the next steps.

ESPN emphasized the internal process, saying the Bulls “wanted Billy to remain in Chicago” and that Donovan had “extensive meetings with team ownership in the past week,” before it detailed the search process for a new top basketball executive.

ESPN

ESPN named specific candidates the Bulls received permission to interview, including Minnesota Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, Detroit Pistons senior vice president Dennis Lindsey, Atlanta Hawks senior vice president Bryson Graham, Cleveland Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey, and San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep, and it said the team was also expected to speak with the co-head of CAA's basketball division, Austin Brown.

USA Today similarly focused on replacement possibilities, but it shifted into a coaching-candidate framing by listing potential replacements such as Wes Unseld, Jr., Johnnie Bryant, Sam Cassell, Tom Thibodeau, and Taylor Jenkins, while also stating Donovan’s record of 226-256 and that the Bulls missed the postseason in each of the last four years.

Axios, by contrast, framed the move as part of a rebuild and said the Bulls “need a GM and a coach after firing Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley before the season ended,” while also quoting Donovan’s statement and Jerry Reinsdorf’s line that “That is the kind of person Billy is — he put the Bulls first.”

The Independent and CBC both described the resignation as allowing new basketball operations leadership “the freedom to reshape the struggling franchise,” with The Independent adding that Donovan’s tenure included “one playoff appearance in the 2021-22 season” and “three consecutive play-in tournament losses.”

The Bulls’ immediate priorities after Donovan’s step down were to complete a front-office reset and then conduct a coaching search, with multiple outlets tying the timeline to upcoming draft-related milestones.

“CLEVELAND, Ohio — Billy Donovan has decided to step away as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, bringing an end to a six-year tenure defined by transition, uneven results and significant organizational change, according to multiple reports”

Cleveland

ESPN said the Bulls “have started the search process for their new top basketball executive,” and it reported that the team was “aiming to hire its new decision-maker just before or just after the mid-May draft combine.”

La Presse

ESPN also said Bulls officials had begun interviews for their new head of basketball operations, and it added that the Bulls were expected to speak with Austin Brown regarding the vacancy.

The Cleveland local report said the Bulls “are now interviewing multiple external candidates to lead basketball operations and hope to have a new top decision-maker in place by the mid-May NBA Draft Combine,” and it described the hire as tasked with “reshaping the roster—and selecting the next head coach.”

Chicago Tribune coverage similarly described a “massive undertaking” after missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, and it said Reinsdorf would work with senior adviser John Paxson and assistant GMs JJ Polk and Pat Connelly to seek a new top executive and a new coach.

CBS Sports described the offseason as requiring the Bulls to “fill three key positions,” and it framed Donovan’s exit as creating a “fresh start” rather than hiring a new front office with a coach already in place.