Billy Donovan was wrapping up a shootaround with his Chicago Bulls team and preparing to do a radio interview when he saw a message on his phone.
“I look down and it says ‘Hall of Fame.’ I’m like, ‘OK, this is either gonna go 1 of 2 ways,'” Donovan told ESPN’s Rece Davis and Jay Bilas on Saturday, moments after the announcement that he would be a 2025 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “I walked off the court behind the bleachers and they gave me the news. Obviously, I was thrilled and humbled and incredibly grateful.”
Donovan first called his wife, Christine, with the news, telling Davis and Bilas about her sacrifices during his coaching career.
He also credited Rick Pitino, his former head coach at Providence who hired Donovan as part of his initial staff at Kentucky in 1989.
“I’ve been fortunate that I learned from an unbelievable coach in Coach Pitino — maybe the best there is out there — and he gave me an opportunity,” Donovan said.
Then, of course, were his former players and assistants at Florida, who he led to back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007.
“I think about the assistant coaches that worked with me, players that made the decision to come play at Florida when maybe at that point in time it wasn’t a great deal,” he added. “You think about Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem early on, there was no reason they needed to come there. Those guys in a lot of ways changed the trajectory of the program and changed my life.
“I think about Joakim Noah and Al Horford and Corey Brewer and Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey. Without those guys, I’m not sitting up here. So, yes it is an individual honor, but there are a lot of people that helped me get to this point that I’m grateful for.”
Billy Donovan reacts to Naismith Hall of Fame induction Saturday Down South.
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