Billy Donovan’s future might finally take him again to school basketball, with Kentucky rising as a possible vacation spot if the longtime coach returns to the NCAA ranks.
Evan Sidery reported Tuesday that many NBA executives imagine Donovan might take the 2026-27 season away from teaching earlier than pursuing a return to a blue blood program.
After reportedly passing on the College of North Carolina job, there’s rising buzz that Donovan could be extremely within the College of Kentucky Wildcats males’s basketball place in 2027.
Kentucky is at present led by Mark Pope, who took over this system after the departure of John Calipari. The Wildcats stay one in all faculty basketball’s premier packages, with eight NCAA Match championships, together with titles in 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998 and 2012.
Donovan’s identify carries vital weight within the faculty sport due to his success with Florida Gators males’s basketball. He received back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007 and constructed one of the constant packages within the nation earlier than shifting to the NBA.
The 61-year-old coach stepped down from the Chicago Bulls on April 21, ending a six-season run within the NBA. Donovan completed with a 226-256 document in Chicago, rating fourth in franchise historical past in wins, however the Bulls posted just one profitable season underneath his management, going 46-36 in 2021-22.
Chicago reached the playoffs as soon as throughout Donovan’s tenure and appeared within the NBA Play-In Match in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The Bulls completed the 2025-26 season 31-51, lacking the postseason and persevering with a stretch of restricted success.
