The University of Kentucky offered their men’s basketball team coach John Calipari a lifetime contract.
The news was first reported by The Athletic and confirmed by sources to ESPN‘s Jeff Borzello, who says that the agreement between Kentucky and Calipari would be a 10-year extension as Wildcats’ head coach and would include a paid role of an ambassador for the program after the 60-year-old retires from coaching.
Calipari’s current deal runs through 2024 and will net him $9.2 million this year, which makes him the highest paid basketball coach in the country. He is also set to earn a retention bonus of $2.6 million in July.
Kentucky’s decision to offer John Calipari a lifetime contract comes after he entered the negotiations with UCLA for their vacant head coaching job. Calipari was offered six-years, $48 million deal by UCLA but his stance about the offer remains unclear.
Calipari was named Kentucky Wildcats head coach in 2009, and currently has a record of 305-71 record with the school. He managed to lead the program to a national championship in 2012 while making three additional Final Four appearances.
Calipari has a 709–208 record in his college coaching career, during which he coached UMass, Memphis, and Kentucky. He managed to make 20 NCAA tournament appearances and reach the Final Four six times.
