Thunder hires Florida's Billy Donovan as head coach

The Thunder hired Billy Donovan to be its new head basketball coach. Oklahoma City made the official announcement Thursday afternoon shortly after the University of Florida confirmed that Donovan left the Gators for Oklahoma City.

“We are thrilled to welcome Billy and his family to the Oklahoma City Thunder organization," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. "While we created a comprehensive analysis regarding the qualities we were looking for, it became quite evident that Billy was the ideal fit for the Thunder as we look to transition our team into the future. Billy has achieved an incredible level of success and experience within his 21 years as a head coach and has shown the unique ability to not only create but sustain an elite program. His emotional intelligence, commitment to the concept of team, and relentless approach to incremental improvement have allowed him to bring his players together and establish lasting relationships through competitive success. Billy's core values and alignment with our culture and community, as well as his proven tactical abilities, make him an ideal addition to the Thunder organization.” ‎