Another strange choice by the Chicago Bulls…

The Chicago Bulls have officially extended their coach Billy Donovan’s contract for several years, according to ESPN. This decision comes after five seasons marked by mediocrity, with only one playoff qualification and three consecutive eliminations in the play-in tournament.

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has signed a multiyear contract extension with the franchise, sources tell ESPN. Donovan is viewed as a leader within the Bulls organization, and will enter his sixth season in Chicago in 2025-26 with 800 NBA games coached over his career. pic.twitter.com/LVYMiZt2Tv

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 27, 2025

The organization led by Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, who were also extended this summer, continues to trust Donovan despite mixed results. In five seasons in Chicago, the former Thunder coach has a record of 195 wins and 205 losses, with his only achievement being a playoff appearance in 2021-2022, ending in a first-round elimination against the Milwaukee Bucks.

A bet on the future despite disappointing results

The 2024-2025 season ended with the same failure, with a record of 39 wins and 43 losses and another elimination in the first round of the play-in tournament. However, the Bulls value « his strong leadership at all levels of the organization, » according to ESPN sources.

Donovan, who will be 60 during the 2025-2026 season, will begin his sixth campaign in Chicago with 800 NBA games under his belt. The former two-time NCAA champion with Florida (2006 and 2007) will have to work with a transitioning roster, particularly after Zach LaVine’s departure and Josh Giddey’s arrival from Oklahoma City Thunder.

This extension comes after negotiations that began at the end of last season and rumors of interest from the New York Knicks in his services. Donovan, who will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame next September, will have the heavy task of bringing the Bulls back to the heights they haven’t known since the Michael Jordan era in 1998.

With an overall record of 438 wins and 362 losses in ten NBA seasons, the coach will need to prove he can do better than these recent years marked by inconsistency and repeated disappointments in the play-in tournament.