John Calipari signs new contract, bringing
yearly compensation to at least $5.2 million

UK head coach John Calipari will be coaching for the first time next season as a national champion, and he’ll also be working with a new contract.

On Friday, UK announced Calipari and assistant coaches Orlando Antigua, Kenny Payne and John Robic have signed new multi-year contracts with the university.

“It’s rare, in this day and age, to be able to keep a staff together that has helped produce a national championship and back-to-back Final Four runs,” said UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart said in a news release. “We want to show them how appreciative we are of their hard work and dedication, and how much they mean to this program.”

Calipari, who signed a new eight-year deal last spring, was awarded an 8.3 percent increase annually in guaranteed compensation resulting from a $400,000 increase in media rights and endorsements payments each year during the remaining seven years of his current contract. Calipari’s contract amendment also added a retention bonus of $1 million on July 31, 2015.

The changes increase Calipari’s annual media rights and endorsements payment from $3.4 million to $3.8 million. With his annual $1 million retention bonus and $400,000 base salary, Calipari stands to earn at least $5.2 million per season through the 2018 season. His retention bonus increases to $1.1 million in the final year of the contract, bringing his total minimum compensation to $5.3 million. Incentives for winning the Southeastern Conference regular season championship, conference tournament championship, reaching the NCAA tournament, reaching the Sweet 16, reaching the Elite Eight, reaching the Final Four, winning a national championship and achieving at least a .950 team Academic Progress Rate could raise the annual value of the contract to as much as $6.05 million per season through the 2018 season and $6.15 million in the final year of the contract.

Calipari’s contract expires on March 30, 2019.

Antigua, who has been at Kentucky for three seasons, signed a two-year deal worth $525,000 plus incentives. He will earn $250,000 in the first year of the contract and $275,000 in the second year. Payne, who just completed his second season at UK, signed a three-year deal worth $1.05 million with a $350,000 annual salary. Robic, who has also been at Kentucky for three seasons, signed a two-year deal worth $575,000. He will earn $275,000 in the first year of the deal and $300,000 in the second year.

Each of the assistants could also earn incentive payments for winning the SEC regular season championship, reaching the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four, winning a national championship and achieving at least a team .950 Academic Progress Rate. Payne could receive additional incentives for winning the SEC Tournament and being ranked in the top 20 of the final Associated Press men’s basketball poll.

Read the contracts here

KyForward file photo. Slider image from UK Athletics.