Spurs To Hire Billy Donovan As Lead Assistant Coach

The Spurs have hired former Bulls coach Billy Donovan to be their lead assistant under head coach Mitch Johnson, Shams Charania reports for ESPN (via Twitter).

Donovan has been a head coach in the NBA since 2015, spending five seasons with the Thunder before taking over in Chicago and leading them for the past six seasons. He has a career record of 469 wins and 413 losses and a history of forming strong relationships with his players.

Prior to his time in the league, he spent 19 years as the coach for the University of Florida, winning SEC Coach of the Year three times and bringing home two national titles.

After stepping away from the Bulls job at the end of the 2025/26 season, he was considered a frontrunner for the Magic’s head coach opening, which, coincidentally, ultimately went to former Spurs top assistant Sean Sweeney.

He brings a strong pedigree of veteran leadership to Johnson’s already-accomplished staff.