Former Florida Gators Coach Billy Donovan, OKC Thunder Part Ways
Former Florida Gators basketball head coach Billy Donovan is back on the market.
Donovan, who had coached the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past five seasons, has mutually agreed to part ways with the team on Tuesday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The 55-year-old's contract expired upon the team's loss in Game 7 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs to the Houston Rockets.
Donovan won 61 percent of his games while in Oklahoma City. He coached the Thunder through the loss of two superstars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
During his tenure, Oklahoma City made the Western Conference Finals in his first season, taking the Golden State Warriors to seven games. However, after that, his team never exited the first round of the playoffs again.
The two-time national champion at Florida already has buzz from other NBA teams. Reports have surfaced that the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers may have an interest in Donovan's services. It is unknown as of now what interest comes from Donovan's side, however.
Also of note, Donovan reportedly wants to stay in the NBA as opposed to returning to the college game. Despite a plethora of success during his days in Gainesville, it does not appear, at least as of now, that he would choose to coach on the court named after him in the O'Connell Center, or any other college court over a professional one.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the remainder of UF's 2019-20 basketball season, Florida named its basketball court after Donovan. Coaching there for nearly two decades, his teams appeared in four Final Fours and 14 NCAA tournaments. This was all while collecting six SEC Championship.
And to this day, Donovan and his Gators of 2005-06 and 2006-07 are the last teams to win back-to-back championships in college basketball. That success eventually helped earn him an NBA job as well as tattoo his legacy in Florida basketball forever.
Donovan built UF basketball into what it is today. When he arrived, the Gators only had five total NCAA Tournament appearances. When he left, they had 14.
What comes next for Donovan is unknown, but while his logo will change, it is unlikely his title will. With interest from two teams on the day he departed from the Thunder already interested, paired with his desire to remain in the NBA, he will in all likelihood remain an NBA head coach.
