Is Bill Self the highest-paid coach? Exploring top NCAAB earners

For years, Bill Self has consistently been in the conversation of the top coaches in college basketball. The Hall of Famer has been involved in coaching basketball for close to four decades.

Through the highs and lows characteristic of such a long career, Self has gradually risen to rank among the best in the game. How has his rise been reflected in his earnings as a coach?

Let's know where he ranks among the top-earning coaches in college basketball?

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Is Bill Self the highest-paid coach?

Yes, Bill Self is the highest-paid coach in college basketball. Self’s latest contract with the Kansas Jayhawks is valued at a sum of $53 million, with annual earnings in the region of $9 million.

For the first year of the contract, Self is set to earn $11 million, which includes a one-time signing fee. According to the breakdown of the contract, Self’s annual base salary is $500,000, while a series of other earnings make up the pay of over $9 million.

Prior to Bill Self’s contract amendment in 2023, Kentucky’s John Calipari was the highest-paid college basketball coach. Calipari’s annual earnings in 2022-23 summed up to a total of $8.53 million. He signed a lifetime deal with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2019, which put him at the top of the earning ladder among college basketball coaches. However, he has since been displaced by Self and is now only the second-highest-paid coach in college basketball.

Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans comes in third place among college basketball coaches receiving the highest remuneration. Izzo’s average annual pay is around $6 million, and has been coaching the Spartans men’s basketball program since 1995 when he got promoted after serving as assistant coach for several years.

Behind Izzo are Bruce Pearl and Rick Barnes who earned $5.71 million and $5.7 million, respectively in 2023. Pearl was hired by the Auburn Tigers in 2014, following his stint at Tennessee. Barnes, on the other hand, replaced Pearl in Tennessee after the latter’s departure.

The making of college basketball coaches into big money earners did not happen overnight or by mistake. It is a reflection of the value that the game has acquired over the years and its growing importance in collegiate athletics.

How long Self will remain the highest-paid coach in college basketball is not certain. But his legacy and impact at Kansas are certain to last for generations to come.