Report: Bulls' Billy Donovan Was Contacted by Kentucky After John Calipari's Exit

Before landing Mark Pope as John Calipari's replacement, the University of Kentucky reportedly attempted to contact Billy Donovan about becoming its head basketball coach.

Per The Athletic's Kyle Tucker and CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, the Wildcats got in touch with either Donovan or his representatives but the Chicago Bulls head coach decided not to pursue the job.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello reported on Thursday that Pope was finalizing a five-year deal with Kentucky.

Donovan was one of several high-profile candidates linked to the Kentucky job in the wake of Calipari's decision to take the same position at Arkansas.

Other candidates who were expected to be contacted by Kentucky officials included Connecticut's Dan Hurley and Baylor's Scott Drew.

Hurley made it clear right away he wasn't interested in leaving the Huskies after winning back-to-back national titles.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported on Wednesday that Drew was going to meet with Kentucky at some point in the near future. The Baylor head coach was reportedly the top choice for Wildcats athletic director Mitch Barnhart.

Drew issued a statement on Thursday announcing he decided to remain with Baylor.

It's unclear how much interest Donovan would have had in the position. Norlander noted Kentucky didn't want to wait until the Bulls' season ended to potentially hire him.

The 58-year-old Donovan has ties to Kentucky. His first coaching job as an assistant on Rick Pitino's staff with the Wildcats from 1989 to '94.

Donovan has been coaching in the NBA since the 2015-16 season when he was hired by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He left the team after five seasons and was hired by the Bulls in September 2020.

Chicago has a 155-161 record with one playoff appearance and two play-in tournament berths in four seasons under Donovan. The Bulls will host the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament on April 17.

Calipari left Kentucky after 15 seasons in the wake of an 80-76 loss to Oakland in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Pope, who played two seasons at Kentucky from 1994 to '96, went 23-11 at BYU during the 2023-24 season. He has a 187-101 record in nine seasons as a college head coach.