San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Billy Donovan says college programs have already started trying to pull players back from the pro path, even when those players are in the G League.
In a video posted by WCJB TV20's Olivia Eisenhauer, Donovan said he saw it firsthand during his final season with the Chicago Bulls. “One of the things I noticed being in Chicago last year, there were college coaches even calling around to the players who were on our G League team to see if they wanted to come back and potentially play in college,” said Donovan.
His view on the broader issue was blunt. “If players are removing themselves from the college atmosphere and going professional overseas to Europe or to the G League or to the NBA, I think they probably need to stay there.”
Donovan did not identify the players involved, but Noa Essengue, Lachlan Olbrigh, and Emanuel Miller split time between Chicago and the Windy City Bulls last season.
At the same time, Donovan made clear he is not opposed to every player returning to school. He said he is fine with undrafted players going back to college, and explained why he feels that way: “It's not a bad thing. I had a lot of players in the NBA who were young and told me, ‘I made a mistake coming out, I should've gone back,' and I hate to see when a player's making a decision and not having what's gonna actually happen on draft night,” explained Donovan.
Donovan, 61, left the Bulls in April and signed with the Spurs in July. He also brings a long college coaching résumé to the conversation, having led Florida to national championships in 2006 and 2007. He coached the Gators from 1996 to 2015, after previously coaching at Marshall.
"In Chicago last year there were college coaches even calling around to the players that were on our G-League team."
— Olivia Eisenhauer (@oeisenhauertv) August 31, 2026
I asked Hall of Fame Head Coach Billy Donovan his thoughts on the NCAA five-for-five rule and players returning from the professional level. 🏀@WCJB20 pic.twitter.com/tIW6qEjshs
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