Billy Donovan reportedly agrees to join the San Antonio Spurs as lead assistant

Billy Donovan is reportedly returning to assistant coaching after his departure from the Chicago Bulls, with multiple outlets indicating he has agreed to join the San Antonio Spurs as lead assistant coach under head coach Mitch Johnson. The move places one of basketball’s most experienced program builders into a franchise that is still searching for consistent momentum after a transition on the sidelines.

The reports described Donovan’s new job as a lead-assistant assignment rather than a peripheral role. According to The Athletic’s report relayed by, Donovan will be joining Johnson’s staff and replacing Sean Sweeney, who was hired as head coach by the Orlando Magic. If the agreement holds, Donovan would become the centerpiece of a coaching staff that will be expected to translate his history of player development and rotation building into San Antonio’s day-to-day work.

Donovan’s timeline as a head coach helps explain the appeal of his skill set. He coached the Bulls for six seasons following a decade-plus of experience at the college level, and he previously led the Oklahoma City Thunder during the core of their modern era. In Chicago, The Athletic’s reporting emphasized his tendency to raise a team’s floor, even in seasons where roster talent was limited enough to keep the Bulls’ postseason hopes in doubt deeper into the year.

Before his NBA run, Donovan was an SEC mainstay at the University of Florida. Saturday Down South, noting his basketball résumé, highlighted that Donovan coached the Gators for 19 years, compiling a 467-186 record. It also pointed to Florida’s early historic peaks under him, including the program’s first two national championships in back-to-back seasons (2006 and 2007) and multiple additional deep runs to the Final Four and Elite Eight. Donovan was also identified in the report as a 2025 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Donovan’s exit from the Bulls came with language that suggested a structured transition rather than a quick exit driven by discomfort. ’s account of The Athletic report included Donovan’s own statement from April, in which he said he decided to step away as head coach so the organization could move forward with the search process. Taken together with the new report, it indicates that the Bulls’ leadership change and Donovan’s availability aligned faster than a typical year-off cycle.

For San Antonio, the coaching-staff upgrade carries more than reputational weight. The Spurs’ next step depends on whether their developing players respond to a veteran voice and whether the staff can build coherent offensive and defensive habits over the length of a season. A lead assistant like Donovan is often tasked with staff-wide coordination, scouting preparation, and game-planning details, which can matter in a rebuilding context where margins are small and consistency is difficult to sustain.

The practical next question is how Donovan’s background will mesh with Johnson’s approach. The reports do not change the basic structure of Johnson’s authority as head coach, but they do imply a transfer of responsibility for day-to-day continuity and in-game adjustments. Fans should watch how quickly the Spurs’ rotations reflect Donovan’s preferred fundamentals and how his experience translates into player roles early in the offseason.

Confidence on this hiring remains contingent until San Antonio or Donovan’s representatives formally confirm the final terms. Still, the convergence of multiple basketball outlets around the same role suggests this is not merely a passing rumor, and it would represent a notable staffing move for the Spurs immediately following the offseason coaching carousel’s latest shifts.