'I loved him': Giddey's head coach quits Chicago Bulls

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Australian star Josh Giddey said head coach Billy Donovan’s decision to resign as the Chicago Bulls head coach blew up his phone overnight.

“Yeah, it was news to me,” Giddey told Nine News.

“I woke – as I said – I woke up early and saw it on Twitter (X) and obviously in our group chat, and I got a lot of texts.

“Obviously, it was in the air what he was going to do, and there were big changes with the front office – the general manager and president were let go earlier in the year as well – so it’s going to look different next year.

But obviously, I loved my time with Billy.

“I’ve always said I wish he could have been there and stayed there, but this is part of the business in the NBA. So yeah, we’ll see how it looks going forward. I know time will tell.”

The Bulls are now on the hunt for a new coach after Donovan’s six-year tenure. Giddey revealed the type of leader the Bulls needed.

“I think lead and inspire guys,” Giddey said.

“I think Billy had all those traits, and he was an unbelievable leader of men.

“Obviously, he was my coach in Oklahoma, and then Billy was the only two I’ve ever had, so they were pretty similar, because Billy came from Oklahoma, and they had similar traits.

“But I loved him.

“Obviously, the new coach, that’ll be above my head, whoever they bring in.

“We’re excited to play for him, and I’m sure he’ll do a great job with the guys.”

Donovan finished his Chicago Bulls tenure with a 226–256 record across 482 games, posting a .469 winning percentage. His teams averaged 113.7 points per game and 44.0 rebounds, along with 26.3 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.6 blocks. Chicago shot 47.6% from the field and 36.3% from three, making 12.5 threes per game on 34.3 attempts.

Under Donovan, Giddey produced the best season of his NBA career, but declared: “I’m 23, I’ve got a lot of room to grow."

“This offseason will probably be my best one yet, and I need to take that next step – continue to lead these guys and help this team win more games,” he added.

Giddey played just 53 games in an injury-impacted season, straining his hamstring on December 30, 2025, against Joe Ingles’ Minnesota Timberwolves.

He averaged 17 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 13 triple-doubles – one in every 4.1 games as the Bulls faltered to 31-51 and out of playoff contention early.