Within hours of the bombshell news that John Calipari is leaving the Kentucky men’s basketball program for Arkansas, the rumor mill had already churned out a would-be top contender for the vacant position: Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan.
But that came as news to Donovan, who said he hasn’t been contacted by or spoken to anyone within the Kentucky program about the head coach position.
“My total commitment and focus is here to this team and to this group,” Donovan said ahead of Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks. “I think with what we’ve been through and the way we started, I give our guys a lot of credit for hanging in there and battling through some of the things that we had to battle through and I’m with them on that. A lot of this stuff turns out to be speculation.”
The connection to Kentucky is logical. Donovan spent five years with the program as an assistant coach under Rick Pitino, during which time the Wildcats took two trips to the Final Four and won three SEC championships. He spoke fondly of his time in Lexington — where two of his children were born — and praised the program, adding that he was “flattered” to be connected to the opening.
But Donovan brushed off speculation that Kentucky is already fielding offers, saying he didn’t believe the Kentucky athletic director had even picked up the phone.
“Has John even left yet?” Donovan quipped with a laugh. Calipari had confirmed his departure earlier in the day by releasing a social media post thanking the Kentucky fan base and community.
Billy Donovan said Kentucky had not contacted him about the head coach position.
Spoke highly of UK and said he’s flattered, but brushed the last 48 hours off as speculation.
“My total commitment and focus is here.”
Quipped later: “Has John even left yet?.” pic.twitter.com/5UH9aQy0K6
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) April 9, 2024
Kentucky would have good reason to make a play for Donovan. He is one of only four men’s basketball coaches to record consecutive NCAA championships, finishing a 19-season tenure at Florida with a 467-186 record while recruiting and producing top talent like Joakim Noah, Udonis Haslem and Al Horford. And although his success has been slightly muted in the NBA, Donovan still holds the same clout in the NCAA nine years after heading to the pros.
But the concept of leaving the Bulls — or the NBA as a whole — is a less convincing prospect for Donovan, who has been candid throughout the years about the ways college basketball has changed since he left Florida in 2015.
Players are restricted to 20 hours of practice per week, a number that Donovan exceeded with ease in his early years as a coach. The transfer portal and the legalization of NIL deals have dramatically shifted the landscape of recruiting and retaining top talent. And although he emphasized his support of players being paid through NIL money, Donovan said he’s wary of the frequency with which players are empowered to transfer in the modern era of NCAA sports.
“When players can just jump around the way they jump around, I just don’t think it’s good for them,” Donovan said. “I don’t think it builds up any level of resiliency or tolerance. I know coaches jump around so I don’t want to sound like I’m being hypocritical here — it’s not great for the players, it’s not great for the coaches. But coaches are not jumping from job year to year to year. And I do think there’s something to be said for fighting through things.”
The Bulls, for their part, are locked in on Donovan despite his 117-119 record over the first three seasons of his tenure in Chicago. Even if the Bulls miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season, the front office is steadfast in its commitment to their head coaching hire.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas has consistently praised Donovan for his attention to detail, off-season work ethic and player development focused on young talent. And with two years left on his contract after quietly signing an extension in 2022, it’s clear that Donovan has a stable future in Chicago if he still wants it.
Donovan said Karnišovas spoke to him Monday when rumors first began to swirl, and he provided the same answer — Kentucky had not reached out and he remains focused on Chicago.
For Donovan, the divide between coaching in the NCAA and NBA goes far beyond this recent rumor. He cited influences throughout his career from Pitino to Jeff Van Gundy and Steve Van Gundy to Eric Spoelstra, all of whom taught him what it meant to succeed as a coach in the NBA. And that always appealed to Donovan as a level to reach in his career.
For now, at least, Donovan says he isn’t craving change.
“I’ve always been, at my age, more consumed and concerned about who I’m working with and who I’m working for,” Donovan said. “I’ve just been around a lot of NBA people. I’ve been around that and I’ve always had a feeling that I would like to coach in the NBA. That’s really what it came down to. So I’m happy here at this level. Sometimes things don’t work out or things change. I know I enjoy coaching and I enjoy coaching in the NBA.”