Recently, the college basketball world received a jolt to the senses when it was announced that Kentucky basketball head coach John Calipari would be departing the program in order to (presumably) take his talents to the open Arkansas Razorbacks job, although that last part has not been officially confirmed yet. On Tuesday, Calipari himself took to his account on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter, to confirm the news with a video post saying goodbye to Kentucky basketball fans and thanking them for the memories he established during his legendary tenure with the university.
“The last few weeks, we have come to realize this program probably needs to hear another voice,” Calipari said in part. “That the university as a whole has to have another voice giving guidance about this program. The fans need to hear another voice. We think it's time for us to step away and step away completely from the program. There have been opportunities presented to us and we are discussing them as a family.”
Of course, Calipari was the coach at Kentucky basketball for many stars in the NBA today, including players like Anthony Davis, Tyrese Maxey, Julius Randle, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a plethora of others, some of whom took to Calipari's Instagram comment section to show their appreciation for the coach after he posted his farewell message.
“Love ya coach,” wrote former Washington Wizards All-Star point guard John Wall, per Tristan Pharis of A Sea of Blue on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter.
Tyrese Maxey left a simple “goat” emoji, implying that Calipari is the “greatest of all time.”
Meanwhile, former Kentucky basketball big man and NBA star DeMarcus Cousins wrote, “Love 4L coach.”
Former 2015 number one overall NBA Draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns relayed a similar message, writing, “Love you coach.”
Overall, it was a great display of gratitude for a coach who helped shape the future NBA stardom for so many familiar faces around the league.
A legendary tenure
Of course, Calipari's time at Kentucky basketball was defined by more than just being a pitstop to the NBA for the nation's top high school recruits. The team broke through to win a national championship during the 2012 season, led by Anthony Davis, and made several other deep NCAA tournament runs during John Calipari's time with the program.
“We're appreciative of John Calipari leading our program for the last 15 years, adding to the legacy of championship success at Kentucky,” wrote Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart in a statement, per Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports. “We're grateful to John for his many contributions to the University, and our state, both on and off the court. We are working diligently to hire a proven, highly dedicated coach who embraces the importance of this program to our fans and the state of Kentucky.”
In any case, whoever is the next coach of Kentucky basketball will have some pretty big shoes to fill. Meanwhile, as previously mentioned, Calipari is widely expected to join Arkansas basketball next season.
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