|
The new contract came after UCLA made overtures
to land Calipari as its new coach. Kentucky didn't immediately
announce terms of the deal, but The Athletic's Seth Davis
reported that the Bruins' offered Calipari a six-year deal for
approximately $48 million.
Calipari's new deal is essentially a lifetime contract, multiple
outlets reported.
"They presented it to me and I appreciate it," Calipari said on
his radio show Monday night. "They want me to be here until I'm
done coaching. This is a unique place and I appreciate the
opportunities I've had here."
The deal is believed to include a 10-year extension as head
coach, followed by a role as a paid ambassador for the program
upon his retirement, according to The Athletic and ESPN.
After receiving permission to talk to Calipari about its
vacancy, UCLA reportedly offered a deal worth $48 million over
six years. Calipari reportedly responded that he wasn't
interested in leaving the Wildcats.
Calipari, 60, is already the highest-paid basketball coach in
the country, making $9.2 million this year, according to the USA
Today Sports database. He previously signed an extension in 2017
that runs through 2024.
Calipari said the latest extension has been in the works for a
while and isn't a response to any specific school's interest.
"It has nothing to do with all of the other stuff," Calipari
said. "Every year that I am here, something at the end of the
year happens. Somebody calls ...
"You think of what we have built, the culture of what we built
here. We've done it all kinds of different ways. ... This is a
situation and culture that has taken time to build. So where
else would I want to coach?"
Calipari has a 305-71 record since taking over at Kentucky in
2009, leading the Wildcats to Final Fours in 2011, 2012, 2014
and 2015, and to the NCAA championship in 2012. Kentucky's
2018-19 season ended with a loss to Auburn in the Elite Eight on
Sunday. The Wildcats went 30-7.
UCLA is in the market for a head coach after firing Steve Alford
with a 7-6 record in late December. Murry Bartow finished the
season as interim coach for the Bruins, who went 17-16.
--Field Level Media
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
