“Totaled over 800 million dollars!”: HC John Calipari beams with pride over former Kentucky stars’ lucrative contracts in NBA
John Calipari has mentored numerous NBA players out of Kentucky after serving the Wildcats as their coach for 15 years. These names include role players like Tyler Herro and Malik Monk, superstars like Anthony Davis, John Wall, Devin Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, alongside up-and-coming rookies Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard.
As he mounts his first year with the University of Arkansas, Calipari shed light on his former students who signed hefty contracts in recent weeks. In an X post on Sunday, Calipari wrote:
"This all happened within the last week or so. All these players got contracts that totaled over 800 million dollars!! Malik Monk, Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Murray, Bam Adebayo. Almost another BILLION dollars in contracts added on in the last week or so.
"I’m losing count now does that make the total 5 or 6 billion?? I’m proud of what these guys have accomplished, they have earned every penny."
Out of the five players John Calipari mentioned, Immanuel Quickley ($175 million), Bam Adebayo ($166 million) and Malik Monk ($75 million) have solidified a return to the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings, respectively, amounting to $419 million collectively.
With that, a $205 million extension for the Philadelphia 76ers' Tyrese Maxey and a $209 million maximum extension for the Denver Nuggets' Jamal Murray are reportedly in process, making the offseason an $833 million endeavor for Calipari-coached players.
John Calipari has produced three No. 1 draft picks
Even though Reed Sheppard missed the top spot to French players Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, John Calipari still has three players under his resume to be picked No. 1 in the NBA draft.
All three of them came between 2010-2015, with John Wall sparking the chain in the 2010 draft. He became the MVP of the Summer League in Vegas, the third-youngest player to record a triple-double and was the runner-up of the Rookie of the Year award.
Anthony Davis was selected first overall in the 2012 draft and was touted to be an archetype of a modern-day center. He garnered All-Rookie First-Team honors and was the runner-up of the ROTY race.
Karl Anthony Towns came out of John Calipari's platoon system in Kentucky in 2015 and became the youngest player to lodge 30 points and 10 rebounds after Kevin Durant in 2008. He then won the All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge and four consecutive Rookie of the Month honors before lifting a unanimous ROTY trophy.