Coach Billy Donovan signed a contract extension with the Chicago Bulls before the season began, The Athletic journalist Shams Charania has reported. However, it was not until this Tuesday when the news reached the media.
Donovan had two years left on his contract when he negotiated the extension during the offseason. Charania did not provide further details but added that the coach will now be attached to the Illinois franchise “for several more years.”
The Bulls have an 86-88 overall record under Donovan, but the team has shown steady progress since it became the head coach. Chicago was coming off a 22-win run when he was hired in 2020. The Bulls went 31-41 in Donovan’s first season. In the following one they reached the playoffs for the first time in five years thanks to a record of 46-36.
The Bulls were among the best teams in the NBA last season before Lonzo Ball’s knee injury in January. On that day, Donovan’s men ranked fifth in offensive ratio and tenth in defense. Plus, they held the best record in the East for much of those early months. Currently, the team is 8-10, while still waiting for the return of Lonzo, who they hope to have back sometime in 2023.
Donovan, 57, came to the NBA in 2017 after winning two NCAA championships in Florida. As the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, he posted an overall record of 243-157, making the playoffs in the five seasons he led the team.
(Cover photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
