Sports
Self signs new lifetime contract to become nation’s highest-paid … – KUsports
Updated 6 p.m. Nov. 7:
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self signed an amended lifetime contract, athletic director Travis Goff announced Tuesday. The new deal makes him the current highest-paid coach in college basketball, surpassing Kentucky head coach John Calipari’s salary of $8.5 million.
Between his new contract and two holdover payments that date back to his previous contract, Self will make about $53 million over the next five years; the new contract specifically is worth $44.5 million over five years with an annual value of $8.9 million.
For the 2023-24 season, the contract and payments give Self a cumulative value of $11,835,000, effective as of the end of March 2023.
“Bill Self is undoubtedly the most consistent coach in college basketball, and a restructuring of his contract terms (was) long overdue,” Goff said in a press release. “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.”
Self’s new contract features a signing bonus of $1 million, a base annual salary of $500,000, a gradually escalating number over the next five years for “professional services” (public-facing and promotional responsibilities) that begins this season at $4,271,291, and a similarly escalating amount over five years for the use of his name, image and likeness that begins at $2,428,709.
The following two elements are based on provisions from his previous contract: Self also continues to receive monthly installments of $100,000 as part of deferred retention payments totaling $7.2 million to be paid out over a six-year period. And Self and his limited liability company, BCLT II, will also receive $2,435,000 in total in retention payments by the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, the final piece of the $11,835,000 number.
He will earn a $5 million retention bonus if he remains the KU head coach through the end of March 2028, or a prorated portion thereof if he is no longer in the role “for any reason.”
The sum of all above elements over five years results in the overall number of about $53 million, before incentives.
Self previously signed a lifetime contract in April 2021, shortly before the hiring of Goff as athletic director, and while KU was still uncertain about the outcome of its NCAA infractions case (resolved by the Independent Accountability Resolution Process on Oct. 11 of this year). Like its predecessor, the new contract is extended by one year each year, which makes it a lifetime agreement.
As in the previous contract, Self can obtain incentives for winning a regular-season Big 12 Conference championship or Big 12 tournament, conference or national coach of the year honors, and reaching different stages of the NCAA Tournament, including a $200,000 bonus for an NCAA title. He can also earn $75,000 for reaching an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 970 or higher in a given year.
Written into the agreement is a provision that will have Self meet with the KU athletic director to discuss future contract terms at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.
“I know the Chancellor (Douglas Girod) and Travis are as excited as I am about the future of Kansas Basketball,” Self said in the press release. “There has never been a better time to be a part of our athletic department and this program. My family and I are so proud to be at this university, and I am looking forward to many more seasons representing the most passionate fan base in the country.”
Other key elements of Self’s contract include:
• Self acknowledges that he may receive disciplinary action if his program commits NCAA violations. He would also be responsible for partial reimbursement of KU’s expenses and legal fees (50%, not exceeding $1.5 million) if the program were “placed on probation due to a major, intentional, significant or repetitive violation of NCAA rules and regulations” by Self specifically.
• KU Athletics cannot fire Self due to anything that “arises from the same set of the operative facts” that were outlined in the IARP case that concluded Oct. 11.
• If KU terminates Self without cause, it will owe him a buyout of $23,100,000 plus any pending payments still due to him.
• If Self were to voluntarily leave Kansas prior to March 31, 2026, for another power-conference school or recent Final Four participant, he would owe $5 million; if before March 31, 2027, he would owe $4 million; any later and he would owe $3 million. If he left for the NBA, he would owe $3 million before March 31, 2026; any later and he would owe $1.5 million. All these payments would be reduced by 50% if Goff is no longer the athletic director at the time of his departure.
Self and Goff signed the agreement on Thursday, and Girod approved it Friday.
Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as the KU beat writer while managing day-to-day sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a native of Los Angeles, he has frequently been told he does not give off “California vibes,” whatever that means.
