Billy Donovan – Bio, Net Worth, Salary, Contract, Head Coach, Records, Awards, College, Married, Wife, Height, Family, Age, Facts, Wiki, Nationality

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William John Donovan Jr. famed as Billy Donovan is a professional basketball coach from the USA. Moreover, he was also a former basketball player. Upon his graduation, he spent the 1987-1988 and 1988-1989 basketball seasons split between the developmental Continental Basketball Association and the NBA’s New York Knicks, who were led by his college coach, Rick Pitino. He left professional basketball in the year 1989 and shortly worked as a Wall Street stockbroker before following Pitino to his new job at the University of Kentucky. He had spent 19 seasons at the University of Florida, where his Florida Gators teams won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. He was the SEC Coach of the Year in 2011, 2013, and 2014 and in 2010, he received the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. On 30th April 2015, he was named the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, reportedly agreeing to a five-year deal but as of 2019-2020, his contract was not renewed due to which, both sides took separate ways. Prior to becoming the head coach of Oklahoma City Thunder, he accepted the offer of head coach from Orlando Magic. 

Former Thunder coach Billy Donovan to interview with Philadelphia 76ers

Former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan is expected to interview for the Philadelphia 76ers job this week. Donovan and the Thunder parted ways last week after the two sides did not agree to a contract extension. Donovan isn’t the only coach under consideration for the job. The 76ers are also hosting Mike D’Antoni. D’Antoni, who coached the Houston Rockets for the last four seasons, but informed the organization after his contract expired following the conference semifinals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers that he would not be returning.

Famous For

  • Being a professional basketball coach and former player who was most recently head coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
  • Being the coach for 19 seasons at the University of Florida.

Billy Donovan, a leading head coach

Source: @forbes

What is the Birthplace of Billy Donovan?

On 30th May 1965, Billy Donovan was born and he was raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York, the USA. His real name is William John Donovan Jr. He is American by nationality and his ethnicity is American-White. His race is White. He was born to his parents, Bill Donovan Sr. and Joan Donovan. Bill Donovan Sr. is the third leading scorer in the history of the Boston College Eagles men’s basketball program, and he sometimes coached his only son’s youth basketball teams while working in the textile industry. He also has a sibling, a younger sister. As per his education, he attended St. Agnes Cathedral High School in Rockville Centre, where he played basketball under coach Frank Morris. He was also described as a “gym rat” who would play basketball as often as possible, even sneaking into his high school gymnasium late at night to practice. With Donovan starting at point guard, St. Agnes won the Long Island Catholic High School Championship during his senior year. Gemini is his Zodiac sign and his religion is Roman Catholic. As of 2020, he celebrated his 55th birthday. 

How was Billy Donovan’s Basketball Playing Career?

  • After Billy Donovan’s graduation, he accepted an athletic scholarship to Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island.
  • He averaged two points per game as a freshman and three as a sophomore under coach Joe Mullaney. 
  • He then informed the new coach, Pitino that he would like to transfer to Fairfield or Northeastern to get more playing time. But the transfer was declined. 
  • “Billy the Kid,” as Providence fans soon nicknamed him (after the 19th-century outlaw), averaged 15.1 points per game as a junior and 20.6 as a senior, when he led the sixth-seeded Friars to the 1987 Final Four and earned Southeast Regional Most Valuable Player honors. 
  • He was named to the 1987 All-Big East first team, the 1987 Big East All-Tournament team, and was an honorable mention All-American.
  • After that, he was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the third round (68th overall) of the 1987 NBA draft but was waived before the regular season began. 
  • And, he signed with the Wyoming Wildcatters of the Continental Basketball Association, hoping for another chance to play in the NBA.
  • In December 1987, he was reunited with his college coach when the Knicks signed him to a one-year contract where he served as a reserve guard for the remainder of the 1987-1988 season and averaged 2.4 points and 2.0 assists over 44 games.
  • Later, the Knicks waived him in March 1988. 
  • Due to this, he did not make an NBA roster during the 1988-1989 preseason, so he returned to the CBA, averaging 10.1 points per game with the Rapid City Thrillers.
  • After that, he left the CBA in January 1989 and took a job with a Wall Street investment banking firm.
  • After just a few weeks at the firm, he called Rick Pitino to seek advice about becoming a basketball coach.
  • He called Pitino again in April 1989 to reaffirm his interest in coaching basketball. 
  • At the time, Pitino was in the process of leaving the Knicks to become the head coach at the University of Kentucky, and he agreed to bring along Donovan as a graduate assistant to see if he had a future in coaching.

Billy Donovan as a basketball player

Source: @bigeastcoastbias

How was Billy Donovan’s Collegiate Coaching Career?

  • Donovan was promoted to assistant coach in the year 1990 and to associate head coach in the year 1992. He also served as Pitino’s top assistant during Kentucky’s 1993 Final Four run, and he helped to recruit the members of the UK’s 1996 national championship team.
  • After that, he was offered to become the head basketball coach at Marshall University. accepted the offer, making him (at 28 years old) the youngest head basketball coach in NCAA Division I.
  • His initial Marshall squad doubled its win total from the previous year, earning an 18-9 record and winning the Southern Conference North Division title as Donovan was named the 1995 Southern Conference Coach of the Year. 
  • As a coach for Marshall, his teams compiled a 35-20 record over two seasons.
  • After that, the University of Florida decided that 30-year-old Billy Donovan was the best fit. He was offered a six-year contract by Jeremy Foley.
  • His first two Florida squads had records of 13-17 and 15-16. 
  • In the 1998-1999 season, he brought lasting success to the Florida basketball program.
  • He also leads the Gators to their first regular-season SEC Championship during the 1999-2000 season and their second NCAA Final Four appearance, defeating North Carolina in the national semi-finals before falling to Michigan State in the NCAA championship game.
  • For the second time, the Gators won the SEC regular-season championship during the 2000-01 season, and on 3rd February 2003, the team achieved a No. 1 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today poll for the first time in school history, returning there the following season on 8th December 2003. 
  • In the 2005-2006 season, his sophomore-led Gator squad posted the school’s best-ever win streak to start a season, reeling off 17 straight wins and reaching No. 2 in the nation in the AP Poll. But they lost their first SEC game to the Tennessee Volunteers. 
  • On 20th December 2006, he became the winningest basketball coach in Florida history, earning his 236th win to surpass Norm Sloan’s total.
  • His first decade in Gainesville brought a new level of success to the University of Florida’s basketball program. 
  • From 1996 until 2007, the Gators won three SEC regular-season titles and three SEC tournament titles.
  • The Gators returned to the NCAA tournament during the 2009-2010 season but lost in the first round to the BYU Cougars.
  • In the 2010-2011 season, the Gators won the SEC regular-season title and they were also the runner-ups in the 2011 SEC Tournament. 
  • In the 2011 NCAA Tournament, the Gators defeated the Jimmer Fredette-led BYU Cougars, before losing in overtime to the Butler Bulldogs in the Elite Eight.
  • He was named the 2011 SEC Coach of the Year on 8th March 2011. 
  • He recorded his 400th career victory at the University of Florida on 19th January 2013 with an 83-52 win over the Missouri Tigers. 
  • The Gators won the 2013 SEC regular-season championship as well. 
  • The Gators became the first team in SEC history to finish with an 18-0 conference record while also set numerous school records.
  • Florida then won the 2014 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament to run their overall record against SEC opponents to 21-0.
  • He was named the SEC’s Coach of the Year for the third time, and his players won many of the conference’s individual awards. 
  • The Gators earned the number one overall seed in the 2014 NCAA tournament. 
  • He became the second-youngest coach in NCAA Division I history to earn 500 career wins, accomplishing the feat in the Florida Gators’ 66-49 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers on 28th February 2015. 
  • With the 18 years span time with the Gators, he led the Gators to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, six SEC regular-season titles (four outright, two shared), and four SEC Tournament titles. 
  • By comparison, the Gators had only made three “official” NCAA Tournament appearances (not counting two under Sloan which were vacated), one regular-season conference title, and no tournament titles in their entire history before Donovan’s arrival.

How was Billy Donovan’s Professional Coaching Career?

  • Billy Donovan’s professional coaching career began when he was offered the head coach by Orlando Magic.
  • He agreed to accept the Magic’s contract offer, which was reportedly worth $27.5 million over five years. 
  • Later, Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley contacted Anthony Grant, Donovan’s former assistant who was the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University at the time, to inquire about his interest in replacing Donovan in Florida.
  • He was later released by Orlando Magic and he reportedly agreed not to coach in the NBA for the following five seasons. He also issued apologies to all parties involved, and the Magic soon hired Stan Van Gundy instead.
  • After that, he was named the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, reportedly agreeing to a five-year deal on 30th April 2015 replacing Scott Brooks.
  • Recently, it was announced that Donovan would not be returning to the team as the two sides failed to agree on a contract extension on 8th September 2020. 
  • He went 243-157 while making the postseason each year, advancing past the first round just once. 
  • Following the 2019-2020 season, his contract was not renewed, and both sides agreed to mutually part ways. 

Awards and Achievements of Billy Donovan

As player:

  • First-team All-Big East (1987)

As a head coach:

  • NBCA Coach of the Year (2020)
  • 2× NCAA champion (2006, 2007)
  • 4× NCAA Regional champion – Final Four (2000, 2006, 2007, 2014)
  • 4× SEC Tournament champion (2005–2007, 2014)
  • 6× SEC regular-season champion (2000, 2001, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014)
  • 3× SEC Coach of the Year (2011, 2013, 2014)
  • SoCon Coach of the Year (1995)
  • Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award (2006)
  • John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award (2010)

Billy Donovan’s Career Stats

  • Points 105 (2.4 ppg)
  • Assists 87 (2.0 APG)
  • Steals 16 (0.4 SPG)

Who is Billy Donovan’s Wife?

Billy Donovan with his wife, Christine Donovan

Source: @news.providence.edu

Billy Donovan is a married man. He married his high school sweetheart, Christine Donovan. The married couple first met back in their high school and after several years of dating, they married in the year 1990. The couple is also blessed with four kids; three sons, and a daughter named William Donovan III, Bryan Donovan, Connor Donovan, and Hasbrouck Donovan. His son William Donovan III followed his father’s career path. As of today, the couple is living a happy life without any disturbances. His sexual orientation is straight and he is not gay. 

How much is Billy Donovan’s Net Worth 2020?

Billy Donovan is a well-known American professional basketball coach who has accumulated a huge amount of money from his career starting as a basketball player. His net worth as of 2020 is estimated to have $14 Million. There is no doubt in the mind of his followers that he is earning a considerable amount of salary. His major source of wealth/income comes from a coaching career and as of now, he is satisfied with his career earnings. He is living a luxurious lifestyle.  

How tall is Billy Donovan?

Being at the fifties, Billy Donovan still looks so cool and handsome attracting a lot of people towards him. His body build is slim. He stands tall at a height of 1.80 m with a balanced body weight of 78 Kg. Overall, he has got a healthy body with an attractive and leading personality. 

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