Billy Donovan fired as OKC Thunder head coach after five seasons

Billy Donovan, who made the leap to the NBA in 2015 after an illustrious career at Florida, is reportedly back in free agency. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the team and coach have broken off negotiations for a new contract.

Donovan took the Thunder – led by both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook – to the Western Conference Finals in his first season but the team has now made four-straight first round exits. They were eliminated last week by the Houston Rockets in an entertaining 7-game series. That loss will be Donovan’s last at the helm, as it marked the expiration of his initial five-year contract with the team.

On the college front, a quiet coaching carousel in 2020 may be preceding an especially wild one in 2021. If Donovan doesn’t catch on with another NBA team (there are several vacancies as of this reporting), the two-time NCAA champion coach obviously be a major prize on the market for major college programs looking to turn over a new leaf.

credit to AP Photo/Michael Dwyer for the image