Calipari hints at retirement while quashing more NBA rumors
Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats talk to the media during interviews and open practice prior to their first round game of the NCAA Tournament against the Stony Brook Seawolves at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Photo by Michael Reaves | Staff.
October 5, 2016
With every NBA offseason, there comes the familiar question that Kentucky fans are used to hearing by now.
“Is John Calipari leaving UK for the professional league?”
No matter how many times the Wildcats head coach shoots down such rumors (and it’s been numerous times), the question always seems to resurface.
But when his son Brad Calipari committed to playing for him at UK, fans were able to let out a sigh of relief as they figured there was no way the elder Calipari would leave while his son was in school.
Recently, Calipari reaffirmed that belief to ESPN.com, while also hinting at something more.
“My son’s now here so my son’s walking on, I’m not gonna leave,” Calipari said. “I would say four to five years is a lock and then after that, [shoot], I may be hanging it up. At that point I’d be 60, 61. I never thought I would coach past the age of 60 because I’m not … basketball isn’t my life.”
Now instead of fretting about whether their coach will leave them for another position, UK fans might want to start counting down the days they have left with Calipari before the head coach rides off into the sunset.
Seems like Calipari is no longer interested in the money he might make at the next level so much as the days he’s looking forward to not working at all.
“It would be believable if I didn’t have this job,” Calipari said. “There are coaches who come through here from the NBA. They say he’d be crazy to come into this league. He’s got everything he needs right there. Why would he? It wouldn’t be about finances.”
