Is this a joke?
That's what plenty of North Carolina hoops fans must be thinking right now, as Billy Donovan has decided to step down as head coach of the Chicago Bulls. After six seasons with the historic franchise, Donovan is ready to move on and pursue other opportunities.
He couldn't have made this decision about three weeks ago? As UNC fans know all too well, the Tar Heels were showing serious interest in having Donovan take over as head coach to replace Hubert Davis, who was fired not long after the first-round NCAA Tournament loss to VCU. Instead, Donovan decided to take his sweet time, leading to UNC targeting other candidates and eventually signing Michael Malone to take the gig.
BREAKING: Billy Donovan is exiting as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after six seasons, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/PZQLdOcOSL
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 21, 2026
Billy Donovan stepping down in Chicago came too late for the UNC job
The one and only Shams Charania was the one to break the news, which most definitely is making the rounds in Chapel Hill. Per Charania, the Bulls front office wanted to bring back Donovan next season, but he decided to step away at this time.
Clearly, this is something that Donovan has been thinking about for a little while - it wasn't something he just woke up and decided he wanted to do. From the outside looking in, it seemed like the Tar Heels wanted him badly, but they couldn't sit on their hands for Donovan to make his decision.
Because of this, Carolina went to other coaches high on their board, ultimately landing on Malone. That hire still seems like a bit of a gamble, but Malone is going to be ready to calm plenty of nervous UNC supporters if he can land some more commits.
Thus far, the Heels have reeled in Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas, while they're still in the hunt for Matt Able, Terrence Brown, Juke Harris and others. Countless eyes are also on Henri Veesaar, as the big man is still deciding whether to jump to the NBA or return to UNC for one more season.
Malone is ready to help develop Veesaar if he does return, but loads of people wanted Donovan to be the one to do so with the former Arizona transfer. With this latest development, some fans might be thinking that UNC would have been smart to wait on Donovan, but the ACC powerhouse really couldn't afford to do so.
With the transfer portal opening back on April 7, the Heels had to make a quick call. Malone was hired the day before on April 6, which was no coincidence. Now, everyone will be ready to see what he can get done in Year 1, while Donovan will be looking for a new job in 2026-27, or taking some time to relax. Could he end up regretting not taking the UNC job when he had the chance? That could end up being the case.
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