Bill Self becomes the highest-paid coach in college basketball as he signs a lifetime contract with the Kansas Jayhawks worth $53 million over the next five years

University of Kansas Jayhawks head basketball coach Bill Self signed a modified lifetime contract Tuesday that will pay him $53 million over the first five years.

Self’s contract will surpass Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari for the richest deal ever given to a college basketball coach at a public university.

Calipari will earn $44 million over the next five years.

Self will make more than $11 million this season in base salary, professional services and royalties, along with a one-time signing bonus and retention payments, including some that have been postponed during the pandemic.

“I am deeply grateful to Chancellor (Douglas) Girod, Travis Goff and the entire KU leadership team for their continued belief and trust in me and my staff to lead this legendary program,” Self said.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari was previously the highest-paid men’s basketball coach

“I know the Chancellor and Travis are as excited as I am about the future of Kansas Basketball. There has never been a better time to be a part of our athletics department and this program. My family and I are so proud to serve this university, and I look forward to many more seasons of representing the nation’s most passionate fan base.”

“There’s no place like Kansas.”

“Bill Self is undoubtedly the most consistent coach in college basketball, and a restructuring of his contract terms is long overdue,” Kansas athletic director Travis Goff said.

“In an ever-changing collegiate athletics environment, our strong commitment to Coach Self positions KU basketball to maintain and enhance its status as the nation’s most storied program.”

At the end of each year of Self’s deal, another year will be added to the deal, and Self will earn a one-time $5 million retention bonus if he serves out the first five.

The deal changes a similarly structured contract he signed himself in 2021 and includes a provision that allows for renegotiations of terms after the 2025-2026 season. Calipari’s deal with the Wildcats pays him $8.5 million this season.

Self’s deal also included a clause that he cannot be fired by the school for pending violations involving conduct during or before signing the contract.

“For more than two decades, Coach Self has embodied the spirit and tradition of the University of Kansas and led our men’s basketball program to unprecedented success,” said Kansas Chancellor Doug Girod.

“We think he’s the best coach in the country and he cares deeply about this place. We are thrilled that he will be a Jayhawk for the rest of his career.”

The Jayhawks were led by Hunter Dickinson in a season-opening win over NC Central on Monday.

The top-ranked Jayhawks, led by Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, headed to North Carolina Central on Monday night to open the season. They play Manhattan on Friday before facing Calipari and his Wildcats in the Champions Classic next week.

“There has never been a better time to be a part of our athletic department,” Self said. “My family and I are so proud to serve this university, and I look forward to many more seasons of representing the nation’s most passionate fan base.”

The contract includes incentives that can significantly increase the value. Self would earn $50,000 for a Big 12 regular-season title, another $50,000 if he is Big 12 coach of the year and $25,000 for winning the conference tournament.

He would also earn $50,000 for an NCAA tournament appearance, $100,000 for reaching the Sweet 16, $150,000 for reaching the Final Four and $200,000 for winning another national championship.

The amended deal comes a month after Self and the Jayhawks avoided serious penalties stemming from a 2017 FBI investigation into college basketball corruption.

An independent appeals panel stripped them of their appearance in the 2018 Final Four, but downgraded five Level I violations – considered the most serious – to three Level II violations and the rest to Level III violations.

As in his previous agreement, which stated that Self could not be terminated for cause “for current violations relating to conduct on or prior to” its signing, the amended contract states that Self cannot be terminated for cause” for an offense arising from the same set of facts considered by the panel.

Self arrived in Kansas from Illinois in 2003 and has since won 566 games and managed all active Power 5 coaches

Self came to Kansas from Illinois in 2003 to replace Roy Williams, who left for North Carolina and has since won 566 games, leading all active Power 5 coaches.

He has amassed 773 wins during his coaching career, including two national championships and 20 conference titles, and has twice been named AP National Coach of the Year.

Self should most likely reach the 800-win milestone this season.

Last season, Self was hospitalized on the eve of the Big 12 tournament and ultimately had to have a valve in his heart replaced. He not only missed the conference tournament, but also the NCAA tournament, where the Jayhawks lost in the second round.

His team could go a lot deeper this season.

The Jayhawks return a trio of starters from last year’s team – Dajuan Harris Jr., KJ Adams and Kevin McCullar Jr. — while signing a touted freshman class led by Elmarko Jackson and bringing in a trio of high-profile transfers.

The biggest of them, both literally and figuratively, is the 7-foot-2 Dickinson, perhaps the most sought-after player to ever enter the portal. He had 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks in just 24 minutes on Monday night.