“I was very fortunate growing up because I always felt I was dealt with directly and honestly. A lot of those things I was hit with directly were very humbling, very hurtful. But it was the truth and forced me to take personal accountability instead of trying to deflect blame.”

American basketball coach and former player

Billy Donovan is an American basketball coach and former player, born in 1965. He is known for his long coaching career in the college game and the NBA, as well as for leading the Florida Gators to national titles. Donovan coached at the University of Florida from 1996 to 2015, where his teams won consecutive NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007 and reached the championship game in 2000. He later coached the Chicago Bulls and is now a lead assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. In 2025, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.