Billy Donovan hasn’t been an assistant coach since Bill Clinton was in the White House. That changes this fall, when the former Bulls and Thunder head coach takes the lead assistant job under Mitch Johnson in San Antonio. And according to one rival coach, that might be the smartest career move Donovan has made in years.
ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news Thursday that Donovan is headed to the Alamo City as Johnson’s top aide for the 2026-27 season. It’s his first assistant role since the 1993-94 season, when he was on Rick Pitino’s staff at Kentucky. That gap is wild when you say it out loud — three decades between assistant gigs — but the reasoning makes a lot of sense.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Donovan had real interest in the Orlando Magic’s head coaching vacancy after Chicago let him go in late April. But the Magic went with Sean Sweeney, and Donovan didn’t seriously emerge as a finalist for any of the other open jobs around the league. So he needed a pivot.
One rival coach told The Stein Line that landing in San Antonio was actually the best available option.
“Not surprised at all. Being the No. 1 [assistant] in San Antonio is the best assistant job in the league. I think it pretty much guarantees Billy will be a head coach again in this league.”
That’s not just flattery. The Spurs just went to the NBA Finals in 2026 — Wemby’s third season — before losing to the Knicks in five games. They’re young, they’re loaded, and they’ve got the kind of organizational stability that makes assistant jobs actually attractive instead of just paycheck filler. Johnson is a first-year head coach who just took his team to the Finals. That’s a pretty good guy to learn under, or alongside.
Donovan brings serious gravitas. Two national titles at Florida. Deep playoff runs with the Thunder, including a 2012 Finals appearance with that young Russell Westbrook-and-Kevin Durant core. The Bulls tenure was bumpy but not a disaster — he went 164-149 over four seasons, never had a losing record, and made the playoffs twice. That resume doesn’t need an assistant job to get another head coaching look. But taking one anyway, and doing it with a contender, actually signals the opposite of desperation. It says he’s patient, picky, and smart about his next step.
The theory from that rival coach is straightforward: Donovan spends a season or two in San Antonio, soaking up whatever Johnson’s system is, building relationships with Wembanyama, and waiting for the right head coaching opening. It’s the Billy Donovan training arc. And if a team like Orlando or Phoenix or whoever has an opening next summer, Donovan will be one of the first names on the list.
That’s the bet anyway. For now, he’s got a clipboard again, which is weird and also kind of brilliant.
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