Mike Bianchi: Billy Donovan made a Thunderously bad career move when he left OKC

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel on Jun 27, 2025

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Let me preface what I’m about to say by reiterating a stance I’ve had for many years about Billy Donovan.

I believe he is the greatest college coach — football or basketball — in our state’s history. Many college coaches in Florida have won national titles in football, but Billy D. — until the University of Florida’s Todd Golden won this year’s NCAA Tournament — had been the only basketball coach to win a national title. And he didn’t just win one with the Gators, he won two and played for another.

Donovan just got elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame because he transformed a football-first school into a basketball powerhouse, elevating the Gators to national prominence and etching his name into coaching immortality. Few coaches have combined charisma, strategic acumen and player development as effectively as Donovan. He was a teacher, a motivator and a culture-builder.

But …

Donovan, one of the greatest college coaches of all time, made a decision that, in hindsight, might be one of the most ill-timed career moves in recent NBA history. No, I’m talking about his one-day stint as the Magic’s coach. I’m talking about after five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder — seasons that included a Western Conference finals run and multiple playoff berths — Donovan chose to leave.

Not because of poor performance or friction, but because he didn’t want to weather the looming rebuild that Thunder GM Sam Presti was about to initiate. At the time, it made sense. Donovan, already in his mid-50s, had spent his entire coaching life in win-now mode. The idea of coaching through years of losses, player development and strategic asset collection may have been unappealing.

So, in 2020 Donovan signed with the Chicago Bulls, a team with some young talent but no clear identity. He likely saw a quicker path to relevance in Chicago, banking on a front office ready to invest and a fan base hungry for a return to greatness. But things just haven’t materialized

Meanwhile, the Thunder — once assumed to be years away from contention — executed one of the most impressive rebuilds in modern sports. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a war chest of draft picks, they’ve now won their first NBA championship and are widely seen as a budding dynasty. Their coach, Mark Daigneault, Donovan’s former assistant at UF and OKC, is now hailed as one of the brightest minds in basketball.

It’s hard not to wonder what Donovan thinks watching it all unfold. Would Donovan have been patient and evolved with the Thunder’s young roster the way Daigneault did? I’m sure Donovan is happy for Daigneault, but there also has to be at least a flicker of regret. The Thunder are the youngest team to win an NBA championship in nearly 50 years are set up to contend for years to come.

Donovan walked away from a long-term project that has turned into a rising juggernaut, trading it for a Bulls team still stuck in basketball purgatory. While Donovan’s legacy is secure thanks to his college resume, there’s no denying that his NBA story may always include a footnote of what might have been had he just trusted the process in Oklahoma City.