College Basketball

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self signs record-breaking lifetime contract

The two-time national championship-winning coach will make over $13 million this season

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Kansas coach Bill Self signed a lifetime contract Tuesday that will pay him $53 million over the first five years, easily surpassing Kentucky coach John Calipari for the richest deal ever given to a college basketball coach at a public university.

Self will make more than $13 million this season in base pay, professional services and royalties along with a one-time signing bonus and retention payments, including some that were deferred during the pandemic. At the conclusion of each year, another is added to the deal, and Self will earn a one-time, $5 million retention bonus if he serves out the first five.

The deal includes a provision that allows the renegotiation of terms, including Self's pay package, after the 2025-26 season. It already surpasses the deal signed by Calipari that will pay him $8.5 million to lead the Wildcats this season.

“Bill Self is undoubtedly the most consistent coach in college basketball, and a restructuring of his contract terms were long overdue,” Kansas athletic director Travis Goff said. “In an ever-changing collegiate athletics environment, our strong commitment to Coach Self positions KU basketball to maintain and enhance its status as the most storied program in the country."

The top-ranked Jayhawks opened this season by routing North Carolina Central on Monday night.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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