John Calipari Breaks Silence on Kentucky Departure

Speaking for the first time since the news of his departure from the University of Kentucky, basketball coach John Calipari thanked the fans for their support over the years.

Early Monday morning, it was reported that Calipari had accepted an offer to become Arkansas’ new head coach. The 65-year-old spent 16 seasons as Kentucky’s head coach, winning six SEC tournaments and a national championship in 2021.

This most recent season ended with an 80-76 upset loss to 14th-seeded Oakland in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

On Tuesday, Calipari posted a video from his own social media accounts. In the nearly-four-minute video, he confirmed that his time at Kentucky had come an end.

“Since our season ended, Ellen and I have spent a lot of time thinking about our time here at Kentucky,” Calipari said in reference to his wife. “What it means to us, the friends we’ve made. On that court, regional championships, conference championships, Final Fours, the national title in 2012. It’s been a beautiful time for us. This is a dream job. It was my dream job. Anybody in our profession looks at the University of Kentucky and basketball and said, ‘That is the bluest of blue.’

“The last few weeks, we’ve come to realize that this program probably needs to hear another voice, that the university as a whole has to have another voice given guidance about this program that they hear; and the fans need to hear another voice. We’ve loved it here, but we think it’s time for us to step away — and step away completely from the program.”

Calipari then thanked the players, families, and fans for their support during his tenure.

Watch above via Twitter.