John Calipari's shocking exit from Kentucky was made official Tuesday with an announcement from Calipari himself, saying goodbye to Wildcats fans after 15 years.
The 48-hour saga began Sunday night, when rumors rapidly turned to credible reports that Calipari was in serious negotiations to become the next head coach of the Razorbacks. The decision would easily be the most significant domino in a series of coaching changes that started when SMU fired coach Rob Lanier and hired USC's Andy Enfield.
Arkansas' Eric Musselman replaced Enfield at USC, which left the Razorbacks searching for a new leader after they were turned down by both Chris Beard and Jerome Tang.
Rather than aim smaller, Arkansas went for it all. Calipari explained the thought-process that went into leaving Kentucky on Tuesday, describing his decision to move on despite the Wildcats being one of the sport's biggest brands. Calipari did not confirm he was joining Arkansas, but the school announced his hiring on Wednesday.
The rollout wasn't perfect. Calipari initially tweeted and quickly deleted a lower-quality video that drew some laughs on social media before posting a higher-quality clip. Still, Calipari got his message across and cleared up some speculation.
MORE: Tracking the latest Kentucky coaching search rumors
Here are the highlights from Calipari's four minute-long goodbye to Kentucky fans.
John Calipari goodbye video
Calipari didn't go into great detail about his decision to leave Kentucky after 15 seasons, but he admitted that the partnership wasn't working as well as it could anymore.
"The last few weeks, we've realized this program probably needs to hear another voice," adding that the fans also need to hear another voice. Fan sentiment has largely gone against Calipari over the last two seasons, and Fox Sports' John Fanta reported Sunday that "the lack of support had grown to the point where he didn't feel like he could stay on because he didn't feel wanted."
Calipari was highly complimentary of the Wildcats and their fans, however, describing Kentucky as his "dream job" and referring to the program as "the bluest of blue [bloods]" in the eyes of everyone in college basketball.
"We've loved it here, but we think it's time for us to step away — and step away completely from the program."
A message to #BBN: pic.twitter.com/TG344ipTfZ
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) April 9, 2024
Interestingly, however, Calipari didn't once mention Arkansas or confirm that he's taking another job. Instead, he vaguely revealed, "There have been opportunities that have been presented to us, and we're discussing them as a family."
Is John Calipari going to Arkansas?
While Calipari chose his words carefully on Tuesday, Arkansas announced Wednesday that he agreed to become the school's next head basketball coach.
Calipari made sure his final message was dedicated to Kentucky's massive fan base, expressing his appreciation for the fans' support at home and on the road.
"And the fans, the BBN — all that you've done to build this program. The people that traveled with us ... I want to thank you," Calipari said. "It's been a dream, what we've been able to do. But 15 years ... time for another voice. And you know I'm always going to be a fan."
Calipari has good reason to remain a Kentucky fan after reaching three Final Fours and winning a national championship in Lexington, but Arkansas fans might want him to wait a few years to say that out loud if his deal to coach the Razorbacks is finalized. Calipari will face Kentucky at least once next season if the move is made official, setting the stage for a fascinating showdown between two programs with rosters totally in flux at the moment.
While fans have been hard on Calipari in recent years, there don't appear to be any hard feelings on the legendary coach's end despite a shocking parting of ways this week.
