Billy Donovan Joins Spurs as 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.
- Donovan, 61, brings 11 NBA head-coaching seasons — a 226-256 run with the Chicago Bulls and a 243-157 playoff-every-year stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder — plus two NCAA titles at Florida (2006, 2007) and 2025 Naismith Hall of Fame induction.
- Donovan stepped down as Bulls head coach in April after the team missed the playoffs for a fourth straight year; the Bulls said they wanted him to stay but respected his choice.
- Donovan replaces Sean Sweeney, who left after one season to become Orlando Magic head coach; Donovan was a finalist for that Orlando job alongside Jeff Van Gundy.
- The Spurs hired Donovan for his two-way experience and NBA/college knowledge rather than to inherit Sweeney's defensive duties; under Sweeney, San Antonio jumped from 25th to third in NBA defensive rating (110.4), with a postseason 105.6 mark trailing only the Knicks.
- Donovan and Johnson share a strong personal relationship — Donovan's son, Billy Donovan III, coached on Johnson's staff with San Antonio's G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, in 2017.
Why it matters: San Antonio, fresh off a Western Conference title, adds a Hall of Fame-caliber voice to Johnson's first-year staff without tapping Donovan to replicate Sweeney's defense work, betting that his two-end floor experience and longtime Johnson ties accelerate a contender's transition to a new coaching era.
