Bulls’ Coby White gets candid about relationship with coach Billy Donovan

Joe Mayo

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Bulls’ Coby White gets candid about relationship with coach Billy Donovan image

The Chicago Bulls continue to navigate a rebuild following their third consecutive Play-in Tournament loss to the Miami Heat, with head coach Billy Donovan at the helm. 

Chicago has made the playoffs just once since Donovan became head coach ahead of the 2020-21 season. Still, the club locked him into an extension after denying the New York Knicks permission to speak with him about filling their head coaching vacancy this summer. 

Despite Chicago's middling 195-205 record in Donovan's five-year tenure thus far, the veteran coach's decorated history earned him a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was extremely successful at the collegiate level, boasting a 467-186 record in 19 seasons with the University of Florida, including back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007. 

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Coby White praises Bulls coach Billy Donovan

Donovan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday as a member of the Class of 2025. Several Bulls players were in attendance, and star guard Coby White took the opportunity to praise his coach's leadership, according to Chicago Sports Network. 

“He’s honest. He pushes you. He's going to get the most out of you, and for the most part, he's always been upfront with me, but he also believes in his players,” White said. “He gets his players to compete every night, and he builds relationships with his players, which oftentimes you don't see a good amount in the NBA.” 

White has spent five of his six NBA seasons under Donovan's leadership and has seen significant growth in the past two seasons. The UNC product is also coming off arguably the best year of his career, averaging 20.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds across 33.1 minutes per game in 74 regular-season appearances during the 2024-25 campaign. 

While Donovan's time with the Bulls hasn't resulted in bunches of victories, his impact on his players is evident in White's statement. Now, Donovan will look to show improvement in his sixth season with Chicago, during which it will be crucial to properly develop Matas Buzelis and No. 12 overall pick Noa Essengue. 

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Joe Mayo

Joe Mayo is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. Born and raised in Wisconsin, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2024. He’s also a contributor at RotoWire. While Joe primarily writes about the NBA, he also covers the WNBA and MLB.