Report: Spurs hire Billy Donovan as lead assistant coach

CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 5: Head Coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls looks on during the game against the Phoenix Suns on April 5, 2026 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

After lead assistant coach and defensive guru Sean Sweeney departed San Antonio for the head coaching position with the Orlando Magic, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson was tasked with his most important hire for the second straight year. Suffice it to say, he nailed it again with the hiring of legendary college coach, NBA veteran head coach and Hall of Famer Billy Donovan, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Billy Donovan has agreed to become the lead assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and head coach Mitch Johnson, sources tell me and @PeteThamel. After 11 seasons as a head coach in Chicago and Oklahoma City, Donovan accepts the position with the Western Conference champions. pic.twitter.com/HdhjtsQG2K

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2026

Donovan made a name for himself as the head coach at the University of Florida from 1996-2015, where he won back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007. He joined the NBA in 2015 as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, where the made the playoffs in each of his five years there, including the conference finals his first season. He then spent the last six seasons as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, where they were mostly a bubble team under his watch. He stepped down after this season, citing “a series of thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership regarding the future of the organization. … I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit.”

While his success levels as an NBA head coach don’t match his college days, his strengths align perfectly with what the Spurs need (and lost with Sweeney’s departure). He is known as a teacher of the game for his player development skills and helping refine basketball IQ, which is perfect with the Spurs young core. He is also known for his offensive and defensive schemes and ability to adapt them to fit the personnel, which is again exactly what the Spurs need.

With the draft and free agency going on, it was easy forget about the coaching vacancy, but this is the second straight year that Johnson has made an excellent hire for his right-hand man, and with Donovan being a veteran of the game with head coaching experience and content to take on a lesser role, he’s likely to last more than one season, while Sweeney was always on borrowed time.

Welcome to San Antonio, Coach!

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