Billy Donovan hired as Spurs lead assistant
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- Billy Donovan agreed to become lead assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs under head coach Mitch Johnson, per ESPN's Shams Charania and Pete Thamel.
- A member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2025, Donovan posted a 243-157 record over five seasons with the Thunder and a 226-256 mark across six seasons with the Bulls.
- Donovan, 61, stepped down as Bulls coach in April after the team missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, despite drawing interest from the New York Knicks and the University of North Carolina.
- Donovan captured two NCAA national titles at Florida in 2006 and 2007 before launching an 11-season NBA head-coaching career.
- The Spurs, last season's Western Conference champions, add Donovan's championship résumé to a staff led by first-year head coach Mitch Johnson.
Why it matters: A 61-year-old, Hall of Fame-caliber coach with 11 years of NBA head-coaching experience chose an assistant role despite being courted for head-coaching vacancies by the Knicks and the University of North Carolina. The Spurs, coming off a Western Conference title run, paired a first-year head coach with one of the most decorated assistants available.
