On Tuesday, it was announced by Shams Charania of ESPN that Billy Donovan would be stepping down as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after six seasons. The decision was surprising, as Bulls management reportedly wanted Donovan to return.

Before his time in Chicago, Donovan became the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder after spending 19 years leading the Florida Gators. In his final college season (2014–15), Florida went 16–17 before Donovan made the jump to the NBA.

Since 2024, Donovan has been mentioned as a candidate to return to the college ranks. After John Calipari left to become the head coach at Arkansas, there were rumors that Donovan could leave the Bulls to take over at Kentucky.

That did not happen, as Kentucky wasn’t willing to wait and hired Mark Pope instead.

More recently, after Hubert Davis was let go by North Carolina, the Tar Heels made a run at Donovan before settling on Mike Malone.

Now, after a disappointing season, Kentucky is entering a pivotal stretch under Pope. If things do not improve, the program could consider a change after his third season. Should Donovan remain available, he could once again emerge as a potential candidate to finally take over in Lexington after previous opportunities did not materialize.