John Calipari, the iconic college basketball coach known for producing NBA superstars, recently opened up on the Pat McAfee Show with some eye-popping revelations — from Karl-Anthony Towns rejecting the bright lights of Los Angeles to a jaw-dropping $6 billion career earnings milestone reached by his former Kentucky players.
Karl-Anthony Towns Said No to the Lakers
Calipari, now leading Arkansas after a legendary 15-year stint at Kentucky, recalled the 2015 NBA Draft when his star big man Karl-Anthony Towns was projected to go No. 1 overall.
According to Calipari, the Los Angeles Lakers were pushing hard to draft Towns with the second pick. The coach tried to sway his star toward the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
> “The Lakers wanted him, and I said, ‘You may want to be the No. 2 pick and be in LA.’ But he told me, ‘No, I’ll wear a coat. I want to be the No. 1 pick,’” Calipari said.
Towns ultimately stayed firm and was selected first overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves — a decision that may not have offered the spotlight of LA but solidified his legacy as a top draft pick.
$6 Billion and Counting: Kentucky’s NBA Empire
But Towns isn’t the only success story. Calipari casually dropped a financial bombshell during the interview: the combined NBA earnings of the players he’s coached at Kentucky now exceed $6 billion.
> “Can I throw a humble brag out there? My guys have made $6 billion in the NBA,” Calipari said. “So when I talk about picking the right school, I’m talking from experience.”
The former Kentucky coach emphasized that chasing a quick NIL payout shouldn’t overshadow long-term success.
> “Some kids trip over nickels trying to get to $200 million,” he added. “I tell them — go where you’ll become a pro, not where they offer the most money up front.”
Top Contracts of Calipari’s Kentucky Alumni
Calipari’s resume of NBA talent reads like an All-Star ballot, and their contracts back it up:
1. Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker — Four years, $220.4 million each
2. Anthony Davis — Five years, $189.9 million
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Five years, $179.3 million
4. Tyrese Maxey — Five years, $175 million
On the NIL Era, Transfers, and Tough Love
The conversation also veered into the challenges of modern college basketball — especially NIL and the transfer portal.
Calipari supports players transferring once or twice when they’ve been misled by coaches, but he’s against the now-common four-transfer trend.
> “If a kid’s transferring four times, one, it’s not good for him; two, he has no chance academically,” he argued. “We’re still academic institutions.”
He added that while coaches need to be truthful with players, parents should encourage their kids to push through adversity rather than run from it.
> “You’re fighting this out — you’re staying and going to do it,” Calipari said, channeling the tough-love mentality that helped so many of his players thrive at the next level.
From Derrick Rose to SGA: A Legacy of MVPs
Calipari also reflected on coaching two MVP-level talents in Derrick Rose and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, noting the similarities in their discipline and drive.
Gilgeous-Alexander, a former Kentucky guard, is now leading the Oklahoma City Thunder in a dramatic NBA Finals series against the Indiana Pacers — a fitting showcase of the type of talent Calipari continues to produce.
Whether it’s convincing a future All-Star to bet on himself, guiding players toward generational wealth, or navigating the chaos of college basketball’s modern landscape, John Calipari’s influence continues to shape the NBA — long after the final buzzer at Rupp Arena.
