Donning a black suit and gray tie, addressing his family and thousands of basketball fans, Billy Donovan received one of the highest honors in basketball Sept. 6.
The Rockville Centre, New York, native was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, as part of the 2025 class, which included prominent faces in basketball like Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony.
“I obviously am incredibly honored,” Donovan said. “It’s really, truly a remarkable class to be a part of.”
In March 1996, athletic director Jeremy Foley took a chance on 30-year-old “Billy the Kid” to change the course of program history — and that’s exactly what he did.
Donovan became Florida’s head coach in 1996 and earned two national championships, six SEC titles, four Final Fours and 17 consecutive post-season appearances.
He became the second coach in Division I history to record 500-plus career wins before turning 50. Donovan earned the highest win percentage ( .715) of any Florida coach who spent multiple seasons in Gainesville.
After his departure in 2015, Donovan coached the Oklahoma City Thunder and led the franchise to five straight playoff appearances and a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2015-16. He is currently entering his sixth season as head coach of the Chicago Bulls.
Donovan spent most of his speech reflecting on his time in Gainesville, first by thanking Foley for trusting him to take control of the program.
“I really believe that he’ll go down as one of the greatest athletic directors of all time,” Donovan said. “Jeremy, I can't thank you enough for the friendship, the commitment and everything you have done to me.”
He discussed the road to developing UF’s program once he took charge. He reminisced on the recruiting process for players like Udonis Haslem, Brent Wright and Mike Miller, who took a chance on Florida, which had yet to establish itself as a competitive program.
Those players created a culture that attracted future players, Donovan said, including Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah, who helped lead the Gators to their first national title in 2005.
“With no real evidence, these guys came here and had faith and belief, and in two years, they played for a national championship,” he said.
Donovan also highlighted UF’s 2005-06 and 2006-07 national championship teams. He praised his 2006 team for starting the season unranked and later taking the title. For his 2007 team, he highlighted its ability to handle the pressure of being ranked first nationally and becoming the first team to win back-to-back this century.
Former Duke men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski also spoke at the induction. He praised Donovan’s ability to win back-to-back national championships in a video aired before the former Gators coach’s speech.
“Winning the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is difficult,” Krzyzewski said. “To win it two times in a row is a remarkable accomplishment. He’s one of the great coaches, but he also is as genuine a person there is in basketball.”
Donovan finished reflecting on his time in Gainesville by praising players like Bradley Beal, who helped build the program back up following the 2007 championship.
Current Gators men’s basketball head coach Todd Golden praised Donovan when he was honored in Florida football’s home opener against Long Island on Aug. 30.
"Coach Donovan set the standard," Golden said. "He is the face of Florida basketball, and there are some pretty high expectations now because of what he was able to do during his time here."
When Donovan’s name was initially called up to the stage, two familiar faces were up there to congratulate him: Rick Pitino and Maurice Cheeks.
In 1987, Pitino coached Donovan, who was the starting point guard for the Providence team that made it to the Final Four and recorded the best season in program history.
Following this success, Pitino hired his former player to join his coaching staff in Kentucky as a graduate assistant from 1989 to 1994 before Donovan was hired at Marshall in 1994.
“I didn’t know what he’d be as a coach during that time,” Pitino said in a video before Donovan’s speech. “But then he put his coaching whistle on, and the rest is history.”
Donovan thanked Pitino for the lessons he taught him both as a player and a coach.
“Where he found me as a sophomore in college is not where he left me,” Donovan said. “He took me to places that I never ever could have dreamed of, and it was his belief, faith and confidence in me that I will always be indebted to.”
Cheeks, an NBA point guard for 15 seasons, also developed a strong connection with the former coach, joining Donovan’s Thunder staff in 2015 as an assistant coach. When Donovan became head coach of the Bulls in 2020, Cheeks followed as his assistant coach until 2024.
Donovan credited Cheeks for helping him make the transition from college coaching to the NBA.
During Donovan’s first year as the Thunder’s head coach, he joked he didn’t know the unwritten rule of giving players the day off after back-to-back games. Therefore, when he told his players they had practice after two consecutive losses, Cheeks had to step in to get the locker room back in order.
Following that incident, Cheeks told Donovan, “Billy, before you ever walk into the locker room and talk to that team again, you have to talk to me first,” Donovan said.
Donovan said Cheeks helped him understand the players’ perspective during the nine years the two worked together in the NBA.
Donovan also recalled a phone call with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf after the news came out about his induction.
Donovan said Reinsdorf asked him if he had been inducted as a player. In response, the former coach joked, “I don’t think so. I wasn't part of those ‘90s Bulls teams.”
Another key supporter during Donovan’s career was Mark Daigneault, who was with Donovan as a graduate assistant and later as assistant head coach at Florida. Donovan thanked Daigneault for always being by his side and congratulated him on the Thunder’s run to the NBA championship this past season.
Donovan ended his speech by thanking his family for their support during his 30-plus year coaching career. He thanked his children for being understanding of his career and gave special recognition for his wife, Christine D’Auria Donovan.
“She’s really the one that should be standing up here,” Donovan said. “She had to deal with me for 36 years, and I know it wasn’t always easy.”
Next, Donovan will get his Bulls ready for the NBA season for their first preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 7.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Fall 2025 enterprise and men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
