In a move that can only be described as long overdue, former Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan has been announced as an inductee into the Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Donovan, who led the Gators to two national championships across 19 seasons in Gainesville, Florida, is presently coach of the Chicago Bulls after a tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Donovan amassed a 467-186 (202-109 SEC) record at Florida winning 502 games during his 21-year college coaching career after spending two seasons at Marshall.
He led the Gators to two NCAA Tournament National Championships (2006-07), four Final Four berths (2000, 2006-07, 2014), six SEC regular-season titles (2000-01, 2007, 2001, 2013-14) and four SEC Tournament crowns (2005-07, 2014). Florida appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 14 of his 19 seasons, becoming a college basketball powerhouse in the process.
Donovan, a three-time SEC Coach of the Year (2011, 2013-14) and recipient of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award in 2010, never hid his desire to attempt coaching in the professional ranks. He even accepted the Orlando Magic job — for five days — following his second-straight national title before changing course and returning to Florida. He purposely refused to promise Gators fans that he would never leave the team despite being asked by the media on numerous occasions, claiming he did not want to predict the future and did not wish to lie to the public.
Donovan’s close relationship with former athletic director Jeremy Foley — the two formed a friendship with an unmatched level of trust — kept him with the Gators longer than most expected. He twice turned down opportunities to leave Florida for Kentucky and spurned a variety of other overtures from college and professional teams over the years.
Donovan went 399-319 (.556) across his first nine seasons as an NBA coach. He led the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals in 2015-16 (while the team still had Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook) but has yet to advance past the first round of the NBA playoffs since. The Bulls are presently 35-42 and will miss the playoffs for the fourth time in Donovan’s five seasons with the franchise.
The floor of the Stephen C. O’Connell Center was named “Billy Donovan Court” in honor of the Gators coach in 2020 putting Donovan alongside former head football coach Steve Spurrier as Florida leaders with playing surfaces named after them.
The 2025 class for the Naismith Hall of Fame is loaded as Donovan will be inducted alongside Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic team (Redeem Team).
Saturday’s announcement was fittingly made the same day the Gators are playing in the 2025 Final Four making their first such appearance since Donovan left the program.
