The San Antonio Spurs have officially announced the hiring of Billy Donovan as their lead assistant coach, according to ESPN. This move comes after Donovan stepped down from his position with the Chicago Bulls in April.

At 61, Donovan, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's class of 2025, embarks on his first assistant coaching role in over thirty years. He initiated his coaching journey under Rick Pitino at Kentucky, later becoming head coach at Marshall in 1994. After two years there and a successful 19-year tenure at Florida, where he secured two national championships, he transitioned to the NBA in 2015.

Donovan's NBA career includes five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder and six with the Bulls, where he achieved a record of 469-413. Under his leadership, the Thunder reached the postseason in all five seasons, while the Bulls only made the playoffs once, resulting in a first-round exit during the 2021-22 season. Despite the Bulls expressing interest in his return, Donovan opted to explore other opportunities.

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,

He will now replace Sean Sweeney as Mitch Johnson's lead assistant, a position Sweeney held during the Spurs' remarkable journey to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the New York Knicks in five games. This marks Johnson's first full season as head coach following his interim role after Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke in the 2024-25 season.