The San Antonio Spurs were just a few wins away from an NBA title in 2026. Rumors have swirled since their defeat regarding their next moves to ensure they can get over the hump and hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy next season.
Well, they’ve made their first move, adding Billy Donovan to their coaching staff, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Donovan had spent the last 11 seasons as a head coach in Oklahoma City and Chicago, but will now take a step back, operating as the Spurs’ “lead assistant coach” under Mitch Johnson.
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) lifts up the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after defeating Golden State Warriors for the NBA Championship in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) lifts up the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after defeating Golden State Warriors for the NBA Championship in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23), guard Kyle Lowry (7), forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and center Serge Ibaka (9) celebrate after beating the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kyle Terada, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) celebrates winning the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP after beating the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Championship in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kyle Terada, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and Toronto Raptors center Serge Ibaka (9) celebrate with the Larry O’Brien Trophy after the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) celebrate winning the NBA Championship over the Golden State Warriors after Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on June 13, 2019.
(Sergio Estrada, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena in Tornto, Ontario, Canada, on June 10, 2019.
(Nathan Denette, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shoots the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the second half in Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. The Raptors defeated the Warriors 123-109 to lead the series 2-1.
(Kyle Terada, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dunks for a basket past Phildelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in game one of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena.
(Dan Hamilton, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) answers questions during media day at Scotiabank Arena in Tornto, Ontario, Canada on Sept. 24, 2018.
(Dan Hamilton, USA TODAY Sports)
Who is Billy Donovan?
Donovan took over as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015, nearly leading the Thunder to the NBA Finals that season, but falling in seven games to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals.
Despite losing Kevin Durant the following season, Donovan experienced solid regular season success, reaching the playoffs in each of his next four years as the head coach in OKC. Unfortunately, he never made it out of the first round of the playoffs again.
Donovan and the Thunder mutually agreed to part ways following the 2019-20 season. Donovan then joined the Chicago Bulls and helped lead them to the postseason in just his second year with the team, marking their first postseason appearance in five years. They lost in the first round, though, and have not been back to the playoffs since. In fact, since that season, Donovan’s Bulls never posted a record above .500.
Has Billy Donovan ever won Coach of the Year?
No. He finished third in voting in 2020 after leading the Thunder to a 44-28 record and the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
That said, he was named the co-recipient of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA (National Basketball Coaches Association) Coach of the Year award for the 2019-20 season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Billy Donovan to become lead assistant coach for San Antonio Spurs
