John Calipari is the subject of NBA coaching rumors seemingly every offseason, and a report this week claimed he was being heavily recruited to leave the Wildcats to coach at UCLA. Those rumblings can all stop now.
On Monday, Calipari confirmed that he has agreed to a lifetime deal to remain at Kentucky. He said the new agreement has nothing to do with UCLA’s reported interest in hiring him.
On the @UK_HealthCare John Calipari Show, Coach Cal confirms he’s agreed to a lifetime contact at Kentucky.
“It has nothing to do with the other stuff…people call every year. They presented it to me and I appreciate it.”
— UK Sports Network (@UKSportsNetwork) April 1, 2019
Calipari has been at Kentucky since 2009 and taken the team to four Final Fours. He also led them to a national championship in 2012 and has won five SEC Championships. He’s one of the best recruiters in the country, so Kentucky probably told him to name his price.
It has seemed in the past like Calipari has parlayed interest from NBA teams into new deals at Kentucky, but the new contract should lead to far less speculation on that front going forward.
