Billy Donovan resigns as Bulls coach after front-office overhaul

Billy Donovan resigned as Chicago Bulls coach after six seasons, choosing to step aside rather than stay on under a new basketball operations regime. The move came less than three weeks after the Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, a shake-up that made it clear Chicago was resetting not just its roster, but its decision-making structure.

The Bulls wanted Donovan to remain, and ESPN reported he held an option year for 2026-27. But after extensive meetings with ownership, Donovan concluded the next leader should have the freedom to hire the staff and shape the program from the start. Michael Reinsdorf said the organization had open dialogue with Donovan about respecting the process of bringing in new basketball leadership and that both sides agreed a new leader should be able to set the direction. Jerry Reinsdorf called Donovan "one of the finest people and coaches" he had worked with and thanked Bulls fans for helping create a home-court advantage.

The departure underscores how unstable the Bulls have become at the top. Karnisovas and Eversley were dismissed on April 6 after a six-year run that produced a 224-254 record and only one playoff appearance. Donovan’s tenure was nearly as defined by near-misses as by the one run that briefly raised expectations. He went 226-256 in Chicago, according to NBA and AP reporting, with his lone postseason trip ending in a five-game first-round loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022. The Bulls then missed the playoffs four straight seasons.

The 2025-26 season captured that stagnation. Chicago opened 5-0, then faded to 31-51 and 12th place in the Eastern Conference, according to Basketball-Reference. For a franchise that once brought Donovan in as a marquee hire after his success in Oklahoma City, where he guided the Thunder to five straight playoff berths, the final result was another reminder that name recognition has not translated into sustained contention.

Donovan’s 226 wins rank fourth-most in Bulls franchise history, but the larger question now is whether Chicago is building toward a real rebuild or simply cycling through another reset. With a new basketball operations chief still to be hired, the next move will shape the roster, the coaching staff and the franchise’s identity, and it will do so for a team that has spent too long trying to regain its footing.