San Antonio hires Billy Donovan as lead assistant coach

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The San Antonio Spurs fortified their think tank heading into the 2026-27 NBA season by acquiring the services of tactician Billy Donovan as the franchise’s new lead assistant coach.

The development was announced on July 3, 2026, after The Athletic and ESPN verified that the veteran coach had agreed to join Mitch Johnson’s talented coaching staff.

San Antonio’s move came after Sean Sweeney, its former assistant coach, accepted the Orlando Magic’s head coaching offer on June 19, 2026.

Donovan now takes over the post held by Sweeney after officially ending his six-year tenure with the Chicago Bulls, marked by a 226-256 win-loss record from 2020 to 2026.

Despite a roller-coaster campaign in the Eastern Conference, the two-time NCAA champion was a household name in the West when he helped the Oklahoma City Thunder reach five consecutive postseason appearances from 2015 to 2020.

Widely known for his three-guard rotations, Donovan is a valuable addition for the Spurs as the franchise expects plenty of midseason adaptability with De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper together on the court.

From a Victor Wembanyama-centric style of offense, Donovan’s creative offensive schemes also became a huge factor in San Antonio’s hiring process.

The Donovan-Johnson tandem will also have plenty of talent to work with after the Spurs re-signed shooting guard Julian Champagnie and added veteran power forward Tobias Harris in a deal with the Detroit Pistons.

San Antonio is coming off a devastating NBA Finals campaign after losing to the New York Knicks in just five games.

With visible signs of immaturity and playoff inexperience, the Spurs made it clear that they need more personnel to help the team maintain poise under pressure and execute the system in crucial situations.