The Chicago Bulls welcomed the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. In the process, they welcomed back former coach Billy Donovan, who's now an assistant with the Spurs.
His name was mentioned, and his image was flashed across the jumbotron. However, the fans' response was less than enthusiastic. Either the fans gave golf claps, looked the other way, or let out a boo or two.
Billy Donovan receives an underwhelming response upon his return to Chicago @ClutchPoints pic.twitter.com/y5WgK1cK32
— Zachary Draves (@DravesZachary) November 12, 2026
Suffice it to say that Donovan isn't exactly a favorite in the Windy City.
This marks his first appearance in Chicago since he stepped down as Bulls head coach in April after six seasons. At the same time, the Bulls let go of executive VP Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley. Thus paving the way for Chicago to hire Bryson Graham as the new head of the front office. They eventually hired Tiago Splitter as head coach.
During Donovan's tenure, the Bulls struggled to perform. They only made one playoff appearance in 2022, when they were eliminated in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks. Plus, Chicago traded away players such as Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Nikola Vucevic, and others, putting them in a position to rebuild from scratch.
Article Continues BelowDonovan has been coaching since 1989, when he was an assistant at the University of Kentucky. In 2006 and 2007, he led the Florida Gators to two national championships. He also coached in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015 to 2020.
With the Bulls, he compiled a 226-256 record.
In 2025, Donovan was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.