Geno Auriemma has signed a five-year contract extension with Kentucky Wildcats…
UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma signed a five-year extension that will once again make him the sport’s highest-paid coach—and increases the potential buyout should he choose to jump to the surging WNBA.
The new deal, which Sportico obtained via a records request, is worth a total of $18.7 million in base pay, starting at $3.34 million next year and ending at $4.14 million in 2028-29. Auriemma’s previous contract, signed in 2021, was set to pay him $3.1 million this upcoming year. The extension pushes him past LSU’s Kim Mulkey ($3.25 million) and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley ($3.2 million) as the sport’s highest-paid coach.
Amid the ongoing WNBA chatter surrounding star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, UConn’s Geno Auriemma doesn’t want to hear any “moans” or “groans” from the veterans in the league.
The 11-time national title-winning coach joined LSU’s Kim Mulkey as panelists at the Aspen Ideas Festival earlier this week and delivered a brutally honest message to WNBA players whose egos may have been slightly wounded after Clark’s and Reese’s arrival to the league.
“[Caitlin Clark] and Angel Reese are not the two best players in the WNBA, but they’re the two most talked about players in the WNBA right now,” Auriemma said. “If you’re some of the players, you can moan and groan about why weren’t they talking about me when I was here, or you can just appreciate what it is and take advantage of it now.”
Auriemma continued, “At some point, it’s always going to be about the game. It’s not going to be about all the other stuff off the court, and all the other extracurricular stuff that goes on.”
Clark and Reese, drafted by the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky at No. 1 and No. 7 respectively, have no doubt been instrumental in growing the women’s game this season. The Fever-Sky’s latest matchup over the weekend broke viewership records yet again, drawing the largest WNBA regular-season audience in 23 years.
In light of the two rookies’ burgeoning popularity, it would appear as though Auriemma is issuing a stern warning to the rest of the WNBA as the game only continues to grow: Don’t get left behind.
Clark and Reese, drafted by the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky at No. 1 and No. 7 respectively, have no doubt been instrumental in growing the women’s game this season. The Fever-Sky’s latest matchup over the weekend broke viewership records yet again, drawing the largest WNBA regular-season audience in 23 years.
In light of the two rookies’ burgeoning popularity, it would appear as though Auriemma is issuing a stern warning to the rest of the WNBA as the game only continues to grow: Don’t get left behind.
UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma signed a five-year extension that will once again make him the sport’s highest-paid coach—and increases the potential buyout should he choose to jump to the surging WNBA.
The new deal, which Sportico obtained via a records request, is worth a total of $18.7 million in base pay, starting at $3.34 million next year and ending at $4.14 million in 2028-29. Auriemma’s previous contract, signed in 2021, was set to pay him $3.1 million this upcoming year. The extension pushes him past LSU’s Kim Mulkey ($3.25 million) and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley ($3.2 million) as the sport’s highest-paid coach.
It notably also increases the amount that the school would be paid if Auriemma took another job in women’s basketball, be it college or professional. That was set to be $3 million next year; the new contract bumps it to $5 million, dropping by $500,000 each year of the deal.
The agreement comes as both women’s college basketball and the WNBA see large commercial growth with increased viewership and attendance. The 70-year-old Auriemma is one of the NCAA’s most accomplished coaches, and is already compensated better than any WNBA coach.
It notably also increases the amount that the school would be paid if Auriemma took another job in women’s basketball, be it college or professional. That was set to be $3 million next year; the new contract bumps it to $5 million, dropping by $500,000 each year of the deal.
The agreement comes as both women’s college basketball and the WNBA see large commercial growth with increased viewership and attendance. The 70-year-old Auriemma is one of the NCAA’s most accomplished coaches, and is already compensated better than any WNBA coach.
Earlier this year he said during a podcast appearance that a potential one-and-done rule in college basketball would “ruin the game.” He’s also called on the WNBA to better market its players.
The new contract makes a few other changes to Auriemma’s contract. It slightly decreased his bonus structure for making a Final Four or winning a national championship; it increased the money he’s owed if he’s fired without cause; and it removed a clause that gave him a $15,000 annual car allowance.
Auriemma is entering his 40th season at UConn. In that span the team has won 11 national titles and played in 23 Final Fours. The Huskies earned $2.8 million in ticket sales in 2022-23, according to Sportico’s college sports database, the highest total among all public schools.
Auriemma was recently announced as part of an investor group backing a new 3-on-3 pro women’s basketball league.
