Bulls coach Billy Donovan finds latest win on Sunday slippery when wet

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Billy Donovan saw the camera as he walked into the locker room, so he prepared himself that a few of his players might be looking to say a few kind words.

What he soon found out was waterproof attire was not provided.

Minutes after the Bulls’ impressive 131-117 on Sunday, Donovan was completely doused with water from the entire team, celebrating the fact that the coach was officially a Hall of Famer, introduced with the rest of the 2025 Class 24 hours earlier down in San Antonio.

A gesture Donovan more than appreciated, change of clothes before the post-game presser, and all.

“I thought someone may say something, like congratulations,” Donovan said with a laugh. “I didn’t know it was going to go to that level.”

Fitting, because about a month ago, no one knew the Bulls (36-42) were going to play to the level they’ve been playing at, now sitting at 12-4 since March 6, and pushing the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference play-in seedings.

So yes, the players wanted to celebrate Donovan’s Hall of Fame accomplishment but also celebrate the man and what he’s meant to them both on and off the court.

“First off there’s only a select few people in this world that’s involved with this spot that gets inducted into the Hall of Fame, so that’s a huge accomplishment, a huge blessing,” guard Coby White said. “I’ve been following Coach since I was a young Bull, watching him in Florida. That’s a big-time moment for a special person, special coach, that impacted every single guy in this locker room, our lives off the court, so for us we wanted to celebrate him. He’s a helluva coach and even a better person.”

He's showcasing those coaching chops this season, maybe his most impressive display since joining the Bulls.

And it’s not all sunshine, either. Donovan has made sure of that, reminding the team of what’s ahead of them and how it should be approached.

There’s Tuesday’s game in Cleveland against a first-place Cavaliers team that may or may not be looking to rest stars for the playoffs, a crucial home game against the Heat with play-in seedings on the line, and then two seemingly just-roll-the-ball-out games in hosting the lowly Wizards and a season finale afternoon tilt with the sinking 76ers.

It’s those supposed gimmies that had Donovan most concerned, starting Sunday in Charlotte.

“We just don’t have the luxury to go into any game thinking that based on records, that anything should happen at the end of 48 minutes,” Donovan said. “We’ve talked a lot over the last week or so, how do we as a group play to a standard that’s going to be sustainable?”

That didn’t happen late in the Friday win over Portland, evident by six fourth-quarter turnovers to allow the Trail Blazers to get back in it. And it wasn’t happening against the Hornets early on.

Back-to-back three-pointers by KJ Simpson and Seth Curry, and then 50 seconds later two free throws from Mark Williams with a Williams seven-footer in the paint, and Donovan had seen enough.

Full timeout, a reset, some focus, and a reminder. It worked, as the Bulls outscored the home team 22-14 the rest of the quarter, and never really looked back.

White was a big reason why, finishing with 37 points, including a 33-footer at the halftime horn, while Josh Giddey chipped in 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Donovan, however, knows it only gets tougher this time of the year, especially with so much on the line. Maybe that’s why he appreciated what his players did. It was a nice little relief from the pressure cooker.

“They didn’t need to do that,” Donovan said. “It really means a lot to me because they’re a part of it too with what happened (Saturday). I don’t know if I needed to be soaked like that, but certainly I appreciated the congratulations.”