Kentucky’s Assistant coach, Kenny Payne, has got a significant raise with the wildcats. Payne has just became a million dollar assistant coach and while he isn’t getting that in a single season he will be receiving $500k annually for two years. He has also had a promotion to associate head coach along with his new salary.
“There’s not a better partner to work with to help these young men achieve their dreams,” coach John Calipari said in announcing the contracts. “His feel for the game and ability to develop players is second to none. I have all the confidence in the world that Kenny will make a great head coach someday, but we’re ecstatic to have him as a part of our staff as associate head coach for the near future.”
This says a lot for how much coaches are being paid especially assistant coaches. Kentucky just raised the bar for other programs to start making larger offers to their staff. Im also excited to see African Americans making their mark in sports as not just players but as coaches, executives and owners. Its refreshing to see these programs giving them a chance. I can see Payne moving up the ladder into coaching his own team one day, Payne is no stranger to coaching, he was employed by Oregon for 2005-2010. Payne also has a history with the NBA, becoming the 19th pick by the 76ers in the 1989 NBA Draft and spent 4 seasons with the organization.