Kentucky Coach John Calipari Makes Cameo Appearance on Showtime‘s ‘Billions’

Next stop: the Emmys?

Kentucky men‘s basketball coach John Calipari is already great at what he does. He‘s won a national championship and been crowned the Naismith College Coach of the Year on three separate occasions.

Although he's still at the top of his game in coaching, it seems like Calipari wants to dabble in another profession: acting. 

On Sunday, Calipari made an appearance on the most recent episode of Billions, a popular series on Showtime. The Kentucky coach popped up in the fourth episode of season six and delivered a motivational speech to the employees at Prince Capital, a fictional hedge fund company at the center of the show.

Can coaches win Emmys???

Thanks for inviting me @SHO_Billions! pic.twitter.com/ofik65EBEj

— John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) February 13, 2022

Calipari was impressive in his brief appearance on the show. His speech, which made apt analogies between basketball and business, even had one character ready to “follow him through the gates of hell.”

The Kentucky coach also referenced his day job directly during his cameo, flaunting his impressive track record of getting players into the NBA. He reminded viewers that 52 of his former players have made the league, 35 of which are still active.

With his latest acting venture now out of the way, Calipari can keep his focus solely on Kentucky basketball. The No. 4 Wildcats (21–4) have impressed this season and are in the midst of a six-game win streak with the NCAA tournament just over a month away.

Perhaps Calipari can give his players a similar pregame speech to the one he delivered on Billions when Kentucky takes the court against No. 16 Tennessee on Tuesday.