John Calipari Buyout: Kentucky To Pay Huge Amount To Fire The Coach

You might want to take a seat if you’re a Kentucky basketball fan wanting to move past the John Calipari era of Wildcats basketball.

John Calipari Buyout: Kentucky To Pay Huge Amount To Fire The Coach

After spending 15 seasons in charge of one of the most illustrious schools in college basketball, Calipari is again squarely on the firing line following another lackluster March Madness performance that ended in a defeat to 14-seeded Oakland.

Since the men’s NCAA tournament in 2015, Calipari has failed to advance Kentucky past the Elite Eight. In the previous three tournaments, he has fallen twice in the first round, most recently in 2021 when they fell to 15-seeded St. Peter’s.

“What I hate is this team, that really worked and did some good stuff – we didn’t play great. They did,” Calipari said. “They made some unbelievable shots. We even went to a box-and-one and we fouled him one time, he makes another one. They shouldn’t be, our team in the season, defined by that game. But it will be. This is the profession we’ve chosen. But we had some guys that didn’t play the way they’ve been playing all year.

“We did everything we could. We knew the zone would be tough, but we missed shots we don’t miss. The preparation, I thought they were in a great – trying to keep them loose. But when the game started, you had some guys not play to the level they could play.”

Over the course of Kentucky’s previous four seasons, the program has often been cut short. Since the abbreviated COVID season, the Wildcats have not won the SEC regular season title or the SEC championship. Kentucky lost in the first, second, and first rounds of March Madness after missing out on the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

John Calipari ‘lifetime’ contract

Calipari did not commit to a “lifetime” tenure as Kentucky basketball’s head coach when he inked his contract with the Wildcats.

More specifically, the phrase “lifetime” alludes to the fact that it would be Calipari’s last deal before he retires. It seems improbable that the coach, who was 59 at the time of the pact, would sign a new contract if he were to coach for the whole ten years.

Bill Self of Kansas is the highest-paid college basketball coach, with John Calipari coming in second. He now receives $8.6 million annually from his 10-year, $86 million contract. With the Jayhawks, Self gets $13 million annually, while Tom Izzo of Michigan State is the third-highest paid college basketball coach.

Kentucky would incur significant financial losses if it were to sever ties with the veteran Wildcats coach. The following information relates to a possible buyout of Calipari.

Even before this recent spate of early losses, many criticized Calipari for only winning one NCAA title despite all the talent he has brought in year after year.

It should be pointed out that on Calipari’s watch at Kentucky, the program has been to four Final Fours, won six SEC regular-season titles and six SEC tournament titles.

“I told them after, this one is painful,” Calipari said to TNT’s Evan Washburn. “And the reason is there are other times you lose a game and you know your team is what it is. But this team, I really felt, was built for this moment.

Even though we were young, I knew that could catch us. But we had our chances. We threw the ball away, took a bad shot. There were things that happened, and then we give up a corner three the last play.

“But you’ve got to give Oakland credit. They made unbelievable shots at the buzzer. They deserved to win the game. I hate to say we didn’t, but we didn’t.”Since then, the 65-year-old Calipari has dropped four of his last five games and has only triumphed once in the NCAA Tournament.

His teams have fallen short against a 14-seed (Oakland) and a No. 15 seed (Saint Peter’s) in the last three years. After the tournament’s expansion to 64 teams in 1985, Kentucky became the fourth team to fall twice in a three-year period to a team ranked 14th or lower in the first round. Before this time, Kentucky had a 19-0 record in such contests.

Many criticized Calipari for just winning one NCAA title despite all the talent he has brought in year after year, even before this latest round of early defeats.

It should be noted that Kentucky has advanced to four Final Fours, won six SEC regular-season crowns, and won six SEC tournament titles under Calipari’s direction.

Despite some inconsistent work, coach Calipari has received criticism along the road, but he is generally well-liked in the collegiate basketball community. In his native Pittsburgh, Calipari’s defeat versus Oakland on the first full day of March Madness all but sealed his destiny.

The Wildcats have now fallen to a team seeded 14th or below in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons, so there are a lot of technicalities that need to be worked out.

Has Calipari won a national championship?

Calipari only has one national title, which he won in 2012 while coaching Kentucky’s all-star team, which included seven future NBA players.

How much does Calipari make for Kentucky?

The contract with Calipari, who turned 65 this month, states that he would receive $8.5 million for the 2024–25 season and $9 million for each of the next four years. It expires at the end of the 2028–29 season.

Why is John Calipari famous?

John Calipari, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, is a “players-first” coach who has a knack for helping individuals realize their goals. He has led six teams to the Final Four, one to a national title, and assisted 58 players in being selected in the NBA Draft.

 

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