“Like Michael Jordan, are you really willing to do what goes into winning?”: Billy Donovan’s inspirational locker room speech to Zach LaVine and his Bulls team

Billy Donovan wants his wards at the Chicago Bulls to channel the spirit of Michael Jordan. He made a moving comment in the locker room yesterday.

Donovan is one of those coaches who’s well known for his ability to handle stars well. Although the Thunder weren’t able to make too much noise in the playoffs with him, he was always respected and admired by his players. Donovan empowered Westbrook to go ballistic in the 2016-17 season – an 82-game stretch for the ages.

Among the criticisms of Donovan, however, is his inability to run efficient offenses at the NBA level. He won 2 NCAA championships during his time with the Florida Gators. But his offensive schemes have repeatedly left much to be desired – he hasn’t always channeled the best from his players.

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Donovan is now the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. With the offensive firepower of Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Coby White at his disposal, he has revitalized the team. The increased cohesion has failed to translate into results, however.

Billy Donovan wants his Bulls teams to pursue success like Michael Jordan

During his 13 seasons with the Bulls, Michael Jordan worked harder than anybody in the league. He came back every offseason with something added to his already incredible repertoire on offense. He’d wow people in a myriad different ways while winning when it mattered.

This is the kind of work that Billy Donovan wants his players to put in, in order to be a successful team:

“I’d like to go to the moon. I really would. I have no interest in doing what it takes to become an astronaut. So like, ‘I want to win.’ OK, great. Are you really willing to do what goes into winning?”

Billy Donovan shares a metaphor about #Bulls needing to learn how to win:

“I’d like to go to the moon. I really would. I have no interest in doing what it takes to become an astronaut. So like, ‘I want to win.’ OK, great. Are you really willing to do what goes into winning?”

— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) January 16, 2021

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