Bulls seek – With the Chicago Bulls and Billy Donovan having mutually parted ways, the franchise’s coaching search is reportedly set to expand. NBA Insider Jake Fischer reports the Bulls are seeking permission to interview Charlotte Hornets assistant Lamar Skeeter and Atla
Chicago’s coaching search isn’t slowing down. After the Chicago Bulls and former head coach Billy Donovan mutually parted ways, the team has been casting a wide net. Now, two more names are emerging as potential interview targets.
Reports indicate the Bulls plan to seek permission to interview Charlotte Hornets assistant Lamar Skeeter and Atlanta Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt. The details come through NBA Insider Jake Fischer’s reporting: “Two more candidates that the Bulls plan to seek permission to interview for Chicago’s coaching search. per sources: Charlotte assistant Lamar Skeeter. and Atlanta assistant Ryan Schmidt.”.
Neither Skeeter nor Schmidt has ever been a head coach at the NBA level. That fact, standing alone, tells you a lot about the direction the search could be taking—toward younger assistants still building their head-coaching track records.
Lamar Skeeter is 37 years old. and his coaching path started in the G League with an assistant role for the Canton Charge. the G-League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He then broke into the NBA ranks in a non-coaching capacity. taking a player development and video intern role with the Atlanta Hawks from 2013 to 2014. Skeeter spent a decade as an assistant for the Utah Jazz before being hired as an assistant by the Hornets in 2024.
Ryan Schmidt. 42. also began in the G League as an assistant for the Raptors 905. the G-League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors. His first head-coaching opportunity came when he was named head coach of the College Park Skyhawks in 2023—Atlanta’s G-League affiliate. Alongside that role, Schmidt worked as an assistant under Quinn Snyder as an assistant. After the 2024 campaign, Schmidt focused solely on being an assistant for Snyder.
The Bulls’ process is still moving quickly, and the coming weeks matter. The franchise should be conducting several interviews before any official hire is announced.
For the Bulls. the addition of Skeeter and Schmidt to the potential interview mix keeps the search wide and open—now with even more emphasis on assistants who have worked inside development pathways. G League systems. and established NBA coaching environments. but still have not held an NBA head-coaching job.
Chicago Bulls head coaching search Billy Donovan Lamar Skeeter Ryan Schmidt Charlotte Hornets Atlanta Hawks Quinn Snyder G League NBA coaching interviews