What is Kentucky coach John Calipari’s salary? Contract and other details revealed

Kentucky coach John Calipari is one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball.

His Kentucky team picked up steam in March, cooling off his hot seat. The Wildcats earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats beat No. 11 Providence 61-53 before losing a tough battle 75-69 to No. 3 seed Kansas State in the second round in the East region.

In 2019, Calipari signed a 10-year, $86 million deal. The contract intends to keep him at Kentucky until he retires as it expires in 2029. The contract is fully guaranteed. He has a base salary of $400,000 but additional pay adds up to more than $8 million annually.

Beginning with the 2022-23 season, he still had $61.5 million left on his deal. It would be a steep buyout if Kentucky were to fire him. If fired, Kentucky would owe Cal 75% of what remains of his deal.

If he was fired this offseason, he would be paid $39.75 million.

If Calipari leaves to accept a coaching job at another school, the buyout would be $0.

Calipari is 387-113 during his time at Kentucky. He has led the Wildcats to four Final Fours and one national championship.

The contract surprisingly does not contain any incentive bonuses for NCAA Tournament wins. Calipari is only eligible for an annual $50,000 bonus if his team surpasses certain academic benchmarks.

The contract has some interesting clauses. After the sixth year, Calipari can step away from the sidelines and become an assistant to the athletic director. His salary would drop to $950,000 with the role change.

He also gets some extra perks. For instance, he is guaranteed two cars, 20 tickets to every Kentucky basketball game, eight tickets to Kentucky football games, a 10% contribution to his retirement account, 20 annual vacation days and a paid membership to a local golf club.