Bulls hire Donovan as coach
The Bulls hired Billy Donovan as their new coach Tuesday.
The 55-year-old Donovan spent the last five seasons with the Thunder. He replaces Jim Boylen, who was fired after the Bulls finished 22-43 and were one of the eight teams that didn’t qualify for the NBA’s restart.
Donovan went 243-157 as coach of the Thunder and reached the playoff each season.
■ Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County sheriff, claiming deputies shared unauthorized photos of the crash that killed her husband, their 13-year-old daughter and seven others. After the Jan. 26 crash, reports surfaced that graphic photos of the victims were being shared.
Colleges: The NCAA approved a 16-team, spring playoff for FCS football, shrinking its usual championship bracket from 24 teams because of the coronavirus pandemic. The championship will have 11 automatic qualifiers and five at-large teams. It will be held sometime between May 14 and May 16.
Horse racing: Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law won’t run in next month’s Preakness, spoiling what would have been a highly anticipated rematch with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. The Preakness on Oct. 3 at Pimlico in Baltimore concludes this year’s reconfigured Triple Crown series, which was run out of order because of the coronavirus pandemic.
NFL: The Broncos will add Blake Bortles to serve as their backup QB after starter Drew Lock suffered an injury last weekend that will keep him out three to six weeks, according to reports. Bortles, 28, will start the mandated COVID-19 protocols after agreeing to a one-year deal. Jeff Driskel is expected to start for the Broncos on Sunday against the Buccaneers, and Brett Rypien will be the backup. ... The Falcons will welcome back fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with a limited capacity beginning Oct. 11 against the Panthers. The team said all fans will be required to wear masks.
NHL: The Sharks announced that they retained Bob Boughner as their coach, removing the interim tag. Boughner, 49, rejoined the Sharks as an assistant to Peter DeBoer in the summer of 2019, and he took over as interim coach after DeBoer and the rest of his assistants were fired Dec. 11.