Bill Self, Kansas Basketball Agree on Altered Lifetime Contract Extension

The head coach has been with the Jayhawks since 2003.

Kansas basketball and head coach Bill Self have agreed to an altered lifetime contract extension that makes Self the highest paid coach in college basketball. Self originally signed a rolling five-year contract in 2021, but according to The Messenger’s Jeff Goodman, his new deal will pay him $53 million over the next five years, more than any other coach in the country.

Self has coached at Kansas since 2003 and has won two National Championships with the Jayhawks, along with 17 Big 12 regular season titles and four Final Four appearances. He currently has won 581 games with Kansas, which is just nine wins behind Phog Allen for the most wins in Jayhawks' history.

Kansas and head coach Bill Self have agreed to an altered lifetime contract :: Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal/USA Today network

“For more than 20 years, Coach Self has embodied the spirit and tradition of the University of Kansas, leading our men’s basketball program to unprecedented success on the court while also enhancing our entire institution,” Kansas chancellor Douglas Girod said. “We feel 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.”

Self has 787 total wins while coaching at Kansas, Illinois, Oral Roberts and Tulsa in his career, which is currently No. 15 all time.