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Jamal CollierESPN
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls and head coach Billy Donovan agreed to a contract extension before the start of the 2022-23 season, the Bulls’ public relations staff announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Donovan is currently in his third season as the team’s head coach, with an overall record of 86-88 with Chicago. He helped lead the Bulls to a 46-36 record last season, their first winning season since 2015-16 and first playoff appearance since 2017.
The Bulls are off to a 9-11 this season but have won three of their past four games, including Monday’s 114-107 road victory against the Utah Jazz.
When the Bulls overhauled their front office in 2020 to hire Arturas Karnisovas as vice president of basketball operations and Marc Eversley as general manager, the duo signed Donovan to a four-year deal as head coach in September 2020 to replace Jim Boylen. Since arriving in Chicago, Donovan has continued to work closely with the team’s lead executives on personnel and decision-making.
The Bulls were in first place in the Eastern Conference until the All-Star break last season before their season was derailed by injuries, including to guard Lonzo Ball, who has undergone a pair of arthroscopic knee surgeries since he last played in January. Chicago still made the postseason in 2021-22 before it was ousted by Milwaukee in five games in the first round.
Donovan spent five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder in his first NBA coaching stop before the Bulls, going 243-157 (.608) as OKC’s head coach and making the Western Conference playoffs for five straight seasons. He also