Fans erupt over news.
"He’s the Worst": Billy Donovan News Erupts in Fan Backlash originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Chicago Bulls closed the 2024-25 NBA season with a 39-43 record, finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference and bowing out to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament.
It was the third consecutive season the Bulls hovered around .500 but failed to break through into the postseason.
Amid that middling stretch, ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news Sunday that Chicago has signed head coach Billy Donovan to a multiyear contract extension.
Talks allegedly began at the end of last season and stretched through this week, surviving a brief courtship of Donovan by the New York Knicks before both sides agreed he should stay put in Chicago for what will be Donovan's sixth season with the franchise.
However, despite the coach being a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, a faction of the Bulls' fan base has grown restless with Donovan, with one user commenting on Charania's Instagram post saying, "I feel bad for Bulls fans, he's the worst coach in the league."
That user wasn't the only one to voice frustration.
"We might be allergic to winning," said one fan.
"We clearly sold our souls for 6 rings 😂😂😂," another commenter replied.
"We really had the last dance," one other user responded.
"More years of mid (no offense Donovan, it’s just time for a change)," said another fan.
"Chicago bulls franchise will be stuck in hell, until they remove this man," one other user commented.
In his first five years with the Bulls, Donovan compiled a 195-205 record (.488), with his only winning season being in 2021-22, a 46-36 finish and a first-round playoff exit.
Before arriving in the Windy City, Donovan spent five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, guiding the team to a 243-157 record (.608) and five straight postseason trips.
Long before his NBA tenure, Donovan built one of the most decorated resumes in college basketball. As head coach of the Florida Gators from 1996 to 2015, he won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007 and steered the team to Final Fours in 2000 and 2014.
His program amassed six SEC regular-season titles and four SEC Tournament crowns, achievements that vaulted him into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this September.
Since taking over as Bulls coach, however, Donovan's teams have failed to advance beyond the first round and have frequently battled injuries.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
