Bill Self signs amended ‘lifetime contract’ with KU basketball. Here are the details
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has signed an amended “lifetime” contract with the University of Kansas, athletic director Travis Goff announced Tuesday.
“Bill Self is undoubtedly the most consistent coach in college basketball, and a restructuring of his contract terms were long overdue,” Goff said in a 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. Over his 20 years at KU, our men’s basketball program has been a primary source of positive alumni engagement, strong university enrollment, and revenue that has helped fund all other Kansas Athletics programs and invest in all 500 student-athletes every year. With him and his staff at the helm of our basketball program, the future of Kansas Athletics has never been brighter.”
Self in April of 2021 signed a lifetime 5-year rolling contract that adds one year at the conclusion of each season for the remainder of his career.
“I am very appreciative to Chancellor (Douglas) Girod, Travis Goff and the entire KU leadership team for their continued belief and confidence in me and my staff to lead this storied program,” Self said in the release. “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 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. There’s no place like Kansas.”
What is Bill Self’s new salary?
ESPN is reporting, citing multiple unnamed sources, that Self will make over $13 million this year and $53 million over the next five years ($10.6 million annually).
According to the figures in Self’s contract, as reviewed by The Star, in the next year he will make:
$500,000 in base salary
$4,271,291 as a professional services payment
$2,428,709 in a royalty payment for his name, image and likeness rights
$1.2 million in $100,000 monthly payments for a previously owed retention bonus, with payments continuing until March of 2027
$1 million signing bonus
$2.435 million from his retention bonus from 2022-23
That total ($11.835 million) is in addition to other incentive bonuses and payments he may have been due from the previous year.
What is Bill Self’s buyout?
Among the details from Self’s amended contract, his buyout to leave for another “competitive” college program — either a Power Five program or a school that has made the Final Four in the last five years — is $5 million. It will drop to $4 million starting on April 1, 2026, and $3 million on April 1, 2027.
Self will owe KU $3 million if he accepts NBA employment before April 1, 2026, and $1.5 million if he jumps to the NBA starting on that same day.
If Self is fired without cause, KU will owe him $23.1 million.
In Self’s previous agreement, that amount (for firing without cause) was significantly lower — $5.41 million plus a prorated share of an annual $2.435 million retention bonus given every April 1.
This story will be updated.