Hindi na babalik si Billy Donovan bilang head coach ng Oklahoma City Thunder.
Hakbang ito ni Donovan matapos malaglag sa playoffs ang Thunder sa kanilang first round series kontra sa Houston Rockets.
Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ni Donovan na nagpapasalamat ito sa lahat ng mga players at coach na nakasama sa loob ng limang seasons.
“I have a great respect and admiration for the players I coached in Oklahoma, and I also want to thank the coaches I worked with, who gave unbelievable time and expertise to our common goal,” saad ni Donovan.
Sa panig naman ni OKC general manager Sam Presti, naging maayos naman ang pahihiwalay ng landas nila ni Donovan na sinasabing mas mainam na rin para sa magkabilang panig.
Ani Presti, mananatili pa rin si Presti bilang kapamilya kahit wala na ito sa koponan.
“In knowing where he is and the caliber of coach he is, I wouldn’t want to mislead him and tell him it was going to be a certain way and then have it not be that way,” wika ni Presti. “But ultimately, it was also five years and I think in his mind, it may have been time to move on. I totally respect that and I have a great deal of respect for him. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Una rito, tinanggap ni Donovan ang head coaching position sa Oklahoma City noong Abril 2015 makaraang maging coach ng University of Florida sa loob ng 19 taon.
Sa kanyang limang seasons sa Thunder, nagtala ito ng 243-157 record.