CHICAGO — It has been nearly 15 years since Billy Donovan first tried to get Tristan Thompson on his team — a fact the new Chicago Bulls center wasted no time teasing his coach about Wednesday.
For Donovan, Thompson was “another one I lost” back in his days recruiting as the University of Florida head coach. Long before either made the jump to the NBA, Donovan attended Thompson’s eighth-grade games, hoping to snag the hard-nosed center for the Gators.
Thompson ultimately went to Texas for a single year, but he remained in Donovan’s orbit as they faced each other in the NBA. After Thompson signed with the Bulls on Saturday, both player and coach felt the connection made sense.
