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Rookie adama sanogo has 22 points and 20 rebounds to shatter career highs, bulls top wizards 129-127, javonte green throws down powerful jam vs. washington wizards, 2024 nba draft: making the case for selecting alex sarr with the no. 1 pick, lowe: the injury-riddled east, lebron's case for all-nba and miami's struggles on offense, jokic the inevitable mvp: nba experts break down their picks for regular-season awards.

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Chicago beats Detroit 127-105, sending Pistons to franchise-record 67th loss

Coby white denies detroit pistons with block, 2023-24 central standings, 2023-24 team leaders, points per game, demar derozan sf #11, assists per game, field goal percentage, ayo dosunmu sg #12, 2023-24 team stats, julian phillips f #15, javonte green g #24, andre drummond c #3, team history.

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Chicago Bulls Tickets

United Center

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Bulls' Billy Donovan Addresses Kentucky Speculation As John Calipari Exits

• Author: Madison Williams

In this story:

John Calipari shocked the college basketball world this week after announcing he is leaving the Kentucky Wilcats men's basketball program after 15 years to become Arkansas' new head coach.

Since then, a few names have popped up as possible candidates to replace Calipari, including a back-to-back national champion in UConn coach Dan Hurley. Another one of the rumored prospects is Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan.

Donovan, who began his coaching career as an assistant at Kentucky from 1989 to '94, was asked Tuesday about the speculation of him returning to the Wildcats to coach college basketball, and he gave a quick, simple response.

"I have not been contacted by anybody; I haven't spoken to anybody. My total commitment and focus is here to this team," Donovan said, via Chicago Tribune 's Julia Poe. "A lot of this stuff I think sometimes turns out to be speculation."

Billy Donovan said Kentucky had not contacted him about the head coach position. Spoke highly of UK and said he’s flattered, but brushed the last 48 hours off as speculation. “My total commitment and focus is here.” Quipped later: “Has John even left yet?.” pic.twitter.com/5UH9aQy0K6 — Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) April 9, 2024

Donovan has coached in the NBA since 2015, first with the Oklahoma City Thunder and now with the Bulls since 2020. It appears he has no pending offers to return to college basketball at this time.

Latest NCAAB News

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2024 NCAA Tournament: How to watch Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. McNeese State Cowboys, live stream, TV channel for first round matchup

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari to Arkansas. Chicago Bulls' Billy Donovan to UK?

John Calipari left the Kentucky Wildcats and Rupp Arena to take over the recently vacated Arkansas Razorbacks job, but who will take the helm in Lexington?

Many thought Scott Drew might be the guy, but he is staying put at Baylor .

There's plenty of speculation as to who may fill the void at Kentucky with Calipari gone, but one familiar face to the Southeastern Conference could be an intriguing option.

Billy Donovan .

The current Chicago Bulls and former Florida Gators head coach is gracing the lips of many who are suggesting he be the heir apparent.

Kentucky basketball coach search: With Scott Drew off board, 6 Kentucky basketball coaching candidates for Cats to consider

Here's what you need to know:

John Calipari to Arkansas, leaves Kentucky Wildcats

John Calipari is ending his 15-year coaching tenure with the Kentucky Wildcats to become the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Reports of the move began swirling Sunday night after news broke of Eric Musselman leaving to become Southern Cal's coach  last week.

Here's one of the last Kentucky press conferences from his home after the 2024 NCAA Tournament brackets were announced earlier this March:

What is John Calipari's salary?

John C alipari was the highest-paid basketball coach in the country at Kentucky, according to USA TODAY . Calipari was making about $8.53 million a year with a base salary of $400,000. Calipari initially inked an 8-year, $31.65 million deal when he joined Kentucky in 2009.

Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coach candidates

Current NCAA and NBA coaches who may be a good fit for the Kentucky coaching job after reports of John Calipari leaving for Arkansas surfaced Sunday. Here are some of those coaches and the current team:

• Billy D on ovan , Chicago Bulls
• Tommy Lloyd , Arizona
• Nate Oates ,  Alabama
• T.J. Otzelberger , Iowa State
• Rick Pitino , St. John's
• Brad Underwood , Illinois

Billy Donovan to Kentucky basketball?

Not yet. And some don't think there's even a chance he'd consider the job.

Billy Donovan Florida Gators coach: career stats

Here's a look at Billy Donovan's coaching history with the Florida Gators, according to floridagators.com .

• Seasons: 19 from 1996 to 2015.
• Record: 467-185, .715
• National championships: 2006, 2007
• NCAA Tournament runner-up: 2000
• NCAA Tournament Final Four: 2000, 2006, 2007 and 2014
• SEC championships: 2000, 2001, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2014.
• SEC East Champions: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2011.
• SEC Tournament champions: 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2014.
• SEC Coach of the Year: 2011, 2013 and 2014.

Billy Donovan Chicago Bulls coach: NBA career stats

Billy Donovan started his NBA head coaching career with the Oklahoma City Thunder and is currently coach of the Chicago Bulls . Here are his NBA coaching stats, according to basketball-reference.com .

Record: 397-317, .556

Billy Donovan, Oklahoma City Thunder coaching stats

Here is Donovan's coaching career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to basketball-reference.com .

Record: 243-157, .608

Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls coaching stats

Donovan is in his 4th season as coach of the Bulls, according to basketball-reference.com .

Record: 154-160, .490

What is Billy Donovan's salary with the Chicago Bulls?

Donovan signed a 4-year contract with the Chicago Bulls worth $24 million in September 2020, according to forbes.com . His contract is up in 2024. Previously, Donovan made $30 million to coach the Oklahoma City Thunder over 5 years.

Was Billy Donovan an NBA player?

Yes. He played one full season in the NBA with the New York Knicks during 1987-88. Donovan played in 44 games and averaged 2.4 points, 2.0 assists and 0.6 rebounds per game.

Who drafted Billy Donoavan and what year was he in the NBA Draft?

Billy Donovan was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the third round with the 68th pick of the 1987 NBA Draft, according to basketball-reference.com .

Where did Billy Donovan play basketball in college?

Billy Donovan played for the Providence Friars from 1983-87, according to sports-reference.com. He averaged 10.9 points, 4.5 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals over his four-year career.

How many national championships did Billy Donovan win at Florida?

Billy Donovan won two NCAA national championships at Florida in 2006 and 2007.

Chris Sims is a digital content producer for Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter:  @ChrisFSims .

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Home » NBA » United Center

United Center - Chicago Bulls Arena Guide

By Basketball Tripper Last Updated: April 10, 2021

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The United Center is located on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, United States, and is home to the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines, a major American airline headquartered in Chicago’s Willis Tower.

Arena Guide by Basketball Tripper

The United Center was built as a replacement facility to the original Chicago Stadium; the arena didn’t officially break ground until April of 1992 and wasn’t finished until August of 1994. With a capacity of roughly 21,000, the United Center has the largest capacity in the NBA and the NHL.

Both the Bulls and Blackhawks own and operate United Center, with an even split in the partnership. The arena is the largest indoor arena in the United States by square footage. The capacity is 19,717 for hockey, 20,917 for basketball, and up to 23,500 for concerts. Attendance consistently exceeds the capacity for NBA and NHL games.

The building is 140 feet tall, built using concrete and 3,500 tons of steel, and cost $175 million to build. While both teams had planned for a new arena for quite some time before they finally built the United Center, the inflated real estate market and the early 1990s recession delayed the construction until financing was secured with funding by banks from Japan, Australia, and France.

Before the 2009–10 season, the arena underwent a renovation that improved the 300-Level concourse with 144 flat-screen televisions, new food and beverage options, and two new bars that open up to panoramic views of the arena. During the 2010 off-season, two other bars with panoramic views of the arena were added to make four total. Finally, in 2015 a new court was added that featured a 75% increase in size to the center logo, lines on the court changed from red and white to all black, and the four stars from the City of Chicago flag were added to the south apron of the court.

Interior view of United Center

Below is a seating plan of Chicago Bulls's United Center:

Matchday Experience

Best bars near ground.

Several popular bars are located within walking distance to the arena, with a few of the favorites being Billy Goat’s Tavern, The Ogden, Hawkeye’s Bar and Grill, and the official bar of the Blackhawks in the Park Tavern. Since the United Center sponsors them, the bar offers free rides to and from the arena, and they offer great specials like $2 Taco Tuesdays and Buckets & Sliders every Monday. The food is not something you would typically find in a city bar but is a great spot to hit up before tip-off.

Food - Places to Eat

While several of the bars and pubs in the area offer several food options, a few other food options are a favorite of the locals and are right around the arena that you can stop at before tip-off. Some of the local favorites include Queenie’s Supper Club, Palace Grill, Billy Goat Tavern, and The Ogden. Since Chicago is a very popular sports city, there are several spots near the united center that are sports-themed and will be great places to catch a bite to eat before the game or even watch the game while you eat.

Chicago Bulls Team Store

The United Center offers daily tours on select non-event dates. On the tour, you will be able to walk through the same halls of some of sports and entertainment’s most famous figures, visit the Blackhawks and Bulls locker rooms, the Blackhawks organ loft, the Michael Jordan statue, and more. You can pick up tickets online or at the box office. Pricing for the tour goes as follows: Standard Ticket $20.00, Seniors (60+) $18.00, Children (3-13) $15.00, and Military $18.00. You can read more stadium tours here .

Chicago Bulls Tickets

Typically, Bulls tickets vary on who they are playing on the given night, but tickets can be found for as low as $24, with an average price of $113

Courtside seats will cost around $1,500 to $2,200 but are scheduled to go up to $100 apiece per game. The arena added a VIP club that will feature all-inclusive food and beverages.

Suites for a Chicago Bulls game will typically cost from $3,000 – $10,000. The price will vary for each game depending on the opponent, size of the suite, and location in the arena.

Visiting the Arena - Travel

Stadium map.

Since the United Center is located on the west side of Chicago, there are several travel options you can choose from. The most popular transportation methods would include the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority), which operates Chicago’s eight ‘L’ train lines and 129 bus routes, various forms of car services, and thousands of parking spots if you chose to bring your vehicle.

The address for United Center is as follows: • 1901 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60612

While traffic during game nights will drive larger crowds than usual down to Chicago, you should be prepared for heavy traffic as you are in a very populated city that sees heavy traffic daily. If you are coming from surrounding suburbs, you will most likely be coming into the city on a major highway then transitioning into city street driving.

While there are several public and paid parking options on any given game night, the lots that the United Center sponsors are lots H, C, and K. These lots will cost anywhere from $20-$40 depending on the proximity to the arena and if you order online beforehand you can receive a few dollars off.

Chicago offers the nation’s second-largest public transportation system with the CTA, which operates Chicago’s eight ‘L’ train lines and 129 bus routes. These railways connect the city through above-ground, street-level, and subway trains and serve 145 rail stations all over town. With two lines that operate 24/7 and several bus routes, finding reliable public transportation will be a breeze.

If you are coming from out of state and flying, you will most likely fly into O’Hare International Airport. The drive from the airport to the arena is17 miles and will roughly take 30-1.5 hours minutes to reach the arena, given the traffic. The most popular transportation methods to the United Center are by subway ($2-$5), bus, taxi ($40-$60), or car.

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Scottie Pippen, Luc Longley and Horace Grant Will Discuss Michael Jordan and The '90s Chicago Bulls in "No Bull Tour"

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Former Chicago Bulls stars Scottie Pippen , Luc Longley and Horace Grant are adding their own spin to The Last Dance with the "No Bull Tour."

The upcoming engagement will take place in Australia and will see the trio discuss Michael Jordan and the '90s championship run of the Chicago Bulls. Pippen, Longley and Grant teamed up with Australia's National Basketball League for the "No Bull Tour," which kicks off February 23 in Tasmania before making stops in Melbourne and Sydney.

The Last Dance premiered in 2020 and mainly focused on MJ and the legacy of the Bulls. While it was well received by most of the public, a number of his former teammates publicly denounced the documentary — many spoke up about the docu being about Jordan rather than the team, and that some members were unfairly portrayed negatively.

''This is going to be a no bull***t tour'' 👀 You won't want to miss this... 13 rings, 1 stage and absolutely NO BULL 🐂 It all starts this weekend, get your tickets now - https://t.co/bZYgB6rFTw ✨ pic.twitter.com/1g2CSazaRU — NBL (@NBL) February 21, 2024

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Bulls clinch ninth seed, will host Hawks in first round of Play-In Tournament

DETROIT — How much is the Eastern Conference’s ninth seed truly worth?

Before the dawn of the Play-In Tournament , ninth place meant you were the first team on the outside looking in on the 16-team postseason. But in today’s era, it’s become a place in the standings second-rate teams chase with the hope of catching fire and creating some postseason magic.

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The Chicago Bulls are one of those teams. They happily clinched the ninth spot with a 127-105 road victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. The win assures the Bulls a home game in next week’s Play-In Tournament. They’ll face the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks and enter Wednesday’s matchup with the approach that anything is possible.

“It’ll be good for us to be able to play at home,” Bulls guard Coby White said. “Last year when we did it, we were the 10th seed so both of the games were away. So it’ll be good to get the home crowd behind us and be able to play that game at home. So it’s big for us.”

Zach LaVine crafted a masterful second-half performance in the Bulls’ first Play-In Tournament win at Toronto last season. But the Bulls sputtered in the closing minutes at Miami in their second Play-In contest last season, a game they needed to win to move on to the playoffs as the eighth seed.

“It’s tough to go on the road and try to win multiple games,” DeMar DeRozan said.

Even if the Bulls beat the Hawks, and even if they go on the road and pull out a victory in their second Play-In contest, the top-seeded Boston Celtics await. Boston swept the three-game season series against the Bulls, and the Celtics own the league’s best offense, the best net rating by a wide margin and are the league’s most lethal 3-point-shooting team — a Bulls weakness.

It’s enough to put a damper on being the ninth seed real quick. But the Bulls, despite rampant injuries, are taking the opposite approach. Their stubbornness has been a hallmark all season. Chicago started 5-14 but has gone 33-28 since. Season-ending injuries for LaVine and Patrick Williams , as well as significant time missed by reserve forward Torrey Craig , rookie forward Julian Phillips and, to a lesser extent, Alex Caruso , could have torpedoed the Bulls. But the Bulls remained competitive regardless of who was available.

Now, they’ve given themselves a chance to play on. Their chances might not be great given their circumstances. But the Bulls aren’t letting that overshadow what they’ve accomplished after an awful start.

“I’m happy for these guys,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “Sometimes when you just look in the moment of where you’re at, you don’t get a chance to look at where you started. Like I’ve said before, it was a rough start for us. And I appreciate the guys in that locker room sticking together, fighting, not quitting, not giving up, not making excuses or pointing fingers. And trying to rally and pull together and play better.

“And then obviously as the season continued to go on we lost players. And they never wavered from that. And I think what they’ve done to get to this point is great. But there’s still obviously a lot in front of us in terms of opportunities. It’s what you want to create.”

To be clear, Donovan isn’t downplaying his team’s 5-14 start. He’s crediting his players for persevering through that stretch.

“It’s an 82-game season. You don’t get a chance to wipe out 20 games,” he said. “But we had to overcome that, and I thought the group did that.”

Inconsistency and a lack of attention to detail are season-long issues for the Bulls. How they manage both of those will determine how much longer their season lasts. As DeRozan said, it’s time for the Bulls to put together all the positives.

“We’ve just got to throw it all out there in the Play-In game,” DeRozan said. “We had a lot of great moments this year team-wise, individually. We’ve got to put that all together whenever the Play-In game is so we can give ourselves another opportunity to win and give ourselves an opportunity to get in the playoffs.”

DeMar went to work 😤 🔥 39 PTS (14-22 FG, 4-6 3P) 🔥 7 AST 🔥 4 REB 🔥 3 STL pic.twitter.com/fBPzzZCwFn — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 12, 2024

With the Bulls’ seed set, DeRozan, White, Caruso and Nikola Vučević might see fewer minutes, if any, over the final two games. The Bulls play at Washington on the second night of a back-to-back Friday before their regular-season finale at New York on Sunday afternoon. DeRozan and White rank first and third in total minutes. Donovan said the Bulls “will definitely have conversations” about resting players in preparation for next week.

“The fresher I feel, the better the outcome,” DeRozan said.

White doesn’t know any better.

“I ain’t never not played so I don’t know what the difference,” he said. “I’m just used to playing. I want to play. I don’t take too many games off and then just go play. I always just want to play.”

White didn’t hesitate when asked whether he has another gear he can get to.

“Yeah, I ain’t got no choice,” he said. “I’ve got to get to another gear, especially this postseason.”

(Photo of DeMar DeRozan: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

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Darnell Mayberry is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Bulls. He spent 12 years at The Oklahoman, where he handled the Thunder beat before moving into an editor’s role. Prior to The Oklahoman, Darnell covered the University of Akron men's basketball, preps and recruiting at the Akron Beacon Journal. He is the author of "100 Things Thunder Fans Should Know And Do Before They Die." Follow Darnell on Twitter @ DarnellMayberry

Chicago Bulls

New York Knicks

New york hosts chicago, seeks 50th win of season.

Chicago Bulls (39-42, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (49-32, third in the Eastern Conference)

New York; Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: New York will try to earn its 50th victory this season when the Knicks play the Chicago Bulls.

The Knicks have gone 34-17 against Eastern Conference teams. New York ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference with 32.4 defensive rebounds per game led by Julius Randle averaging 7.0.

The Bulls have gone 22-28 against Eastern Conference opponents. Chicago is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 11.1 offensive rebounds per game led by Andre Drummond averaging 3.4.

The Knicks are shooting 46.5% from the field this season, 0.7 percentage points lower than the 47.2% the Bulls allow to opponents. The Bulls average 11.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.1 fewer made shots on average than the 12.6 per game the Knicks give up.

The teams meet for the fourth time this season. The Knicks won 128-117 in the last matchup on April 10.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jalen Brunson is shooting 47.8% and averaging 28.6 points for the Knicks. Donte DiVincenzo is averaging 5.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Coby White is averaging 19 points and 5.1 assists for the Bulls. Torrey Craig is averaging 1.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 118.1 points, 40.0 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 8.6 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points per game.

Bulls: 5-5, averaging 112.7 points, 46.9 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 8.3 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.8 points.

INJURIES: Knicks: Julius Randle: out for season (shoulder).

Bulls: DeMar DeRozan : out (rest), Nikola Vucevic : out (rest), Ayo Dosunmu : out (quad), Zach LaVine : out for season (ankle), Andre Drummond: out (quadricep), Patrick Williams : out for season (foot), Julian Phillips : out (foot), Alex Caruso : out (ankle), Lonzo Ball : out for season (knee).

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

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Chicago Bulls | Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan brushes off…

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Chicago Bulls

Chicago bulls | chicago bulls coach billy donovan brushes off kentucky speculation: ‘my total commitment and focus is here’.

Within hours of the bombshell news that John Calipari is leaving the Kentucky men’s basketball program for Arkansas, the rumor mill had already churned out a would-be top contender for the vacant position: Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan.

But that came as news to Donovan, who said he hasn’t been contacted by or spoken to anyone within the Kentucky program about the head coach position.

“My total commitment and focus is here to this team and to this group,” Donovan said ahead of Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks . “I think with what we’ve been through and the way we started, I give our guys a lot of credit for hanging in there and battling through some of the things that we had to battle through and I’m with them on that. A lot of this stuff turns out to be speculation.”

The connection to Kentucky is logical. Donovan spent five years with the program as an assistant coach under Rick Pitino, during which time the Wildcats took two trips to the Final Four and won three SEC championships. He spoke fondly of his time in Lexington — where two of his children were born — and praised the program, adding that he was “flattered” to be connected to the opening.

But Donovan brushed off speculation that Kentucky is already fielding offers, saying he didn’t believe the Kentucky athletic director had even picked up the phone.

“Has John even left yet?” Donovan quipped with a laugh. Calipari had confirmed his departure earlier in the day by releasing a social media post thanking the Kentucky fan base and community.

Billy Donovan said Kentucky had not contacted him about the head coach position. Spoke highly of UK and said he’s flattered, but brushed the last 48 hours off as speculation. “My total commitment and focus is here.” Quipped later: “Has John even left yet?.” pic.twitter.com/5UH9aQy0K6 — Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) April 9, 2024

Kentucky would have good reason to make a play for Donovan. He is one of only eight men’s basketball coaches to record consecutive NCAA championships , finishing a 19-season tenure at Florida with a 467-186 record while recruiting and producing top talent like Joakim Noah, Udonis Haslem and Al Horford. And although his success has been slightly muted in the NBA, Donovan still holds the same clout in the NCAA nine years after heading to the pros.

But the concept of leaving the Bulls — or the NBA as a whole — is a less convincing prospect for Donovan, who has been candid throughout the years about the ways college basketball has changed since he left Florida in 2015.

Players are restricted to 20 hours of practice per week, a number that Donovan exceeded with ease in his early years as a coach. The transfer portal and the legalization of NIL deals have dramatically shifted the landscape of recruiting and retaining top talent. And although he emphasized his support of players being paid through NIL money, Donovan said he’s wary of the frequency with which players are empowered to transfer in the modern era of NCAA sports.

“When players can just jump around the way they jump around, I just don’t think it’s good for them,” Donovan said. “I don’t think it builds up any level of resiliency or tolerance. I know coaches jump around so I don’t want to sound like I’m being hypocritical here — it’s not great for the players, it’s not great for the coaches. But coaches are not jumping from job year to year to year. And I do think there’s something to be said for fighting through things.”

The Bulls, for their part, are locked in on Donovan despite his 117-119 record over the first three seasons of his tenure in Chicago. Even if the Bulls miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season, the front office is steadfast in its commitment to their head coaching hire.

Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas has consistently praised Donovan for his attention to detail, off-season work ethic and player development focused on young talent. And with two years left on his contract after quietly signing an extension in 2022, it’s clear that Donovan has a stable future in Chicago if he still wants it.

Donovan said Karnišovas spoke to him Monday when rumors first began to swirl, and he provided the same answer — Kentucky had not reached out and he remains focused on Chicago.

For Donovan, the divide between coaching in the NCAA and NBA goes far beyond this recent rumor. He cited influences throughout his career from Pitino to Jeff Van Gundy and Steve Van Gundy to Eric Spoelstra, all of whom taught him what it meant to succeed as a coach in the NBA. And that always appealed to Donovan as a level to reach in his career.

For now, at least, Donovan says he isn’t craving change.

“I’ve always been, at my age, more consumed and concerned about who I’m working with and who I’m working for,” Donovan said. “I’ve just been around a lot of NBA people. I’ve been around that and I’ve always had a feeling that I would like to coach in the NBA. That’s really what it came down to. So I’m happy here at this level. Sometimes things don’t work out or things change. I know I enjoy coaching and I enjoy coaching in the NBA.”

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