April 21 (Reuters) - Billy Donovan is stepping down as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after six seasons, the NBA team said on Tuesday.
Donovan announced his decision just over a week after the team closed out a 31-51 season that saw them miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.
"I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit," Donovan said in a statement.
The Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas
Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on April 6. The next day, CEO Michael Reinsdorf said he wanted Donovan to remain as head coach.
"While we clearly wanted Billy to return as our head coach, we had open dialogue about the importance of respecting the process of bringing in new Basketball Operations leadership," Reinsdorf said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Together, we mutually agreed that giving that person the freedom to shape the organization was the best approach for everyone involved."
Donovan, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last year, has spent the past 11 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, including five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Bulls posted a 226-256 record under Donovan. He led the franchise to one playoff appearance in 2022 when they lost in the first round.
Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said the team is "deeply grateful for everything (Donovan) has given to this organization.”
(Reporting by Nicole Fernandes in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
