Contract details for John Welch, Kentucky Basketball's new assistant

Longtime NBA assistant John Welch joined Kentucky Basketball‘s staff in May, and today, his new contract details are circulating around the world wide web. Lyndsey Gough over at WKYT combed through Welch’s public contract to find that Welch will earn $250,000 for his first year with the Wildcats, followed by an increase to $275,000 annually the following year through June 30, 2025. Welch also has incentive bonuses in his contract for a Final Four or, even better, a national championship.

Yesterday, the team’s social media accounts introduced Welch to the Big Blue Nation. In the video, we learn he is a gym rat with his players. Welch’s love for the gym is one of his strengths, he says.

Meet John Welch

"The easiest way for me to connect with the players is through the workouts and being in the gym."

Meet assistant coach John Welch 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/r6gVRPwbEN

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) June 13, 2023

Before Kentucky

Prior to his move to Lexington, John Welch coached along the west coast in the college ranks, then for nearly two decades in the NBA.

1986–1989	UNLV (graduate assistant)
1993–1995	Long Beach State (assistant)
1995–2002	Fresno State (assistant)
2002–2005	Memphis Grizzlies (assistant)
2005–2013	Denver Nuggets (assistant)
2013–2015	Brooklyn Nets (assistant)
2015–2016	Sacramento Kings (assistant)
2016–2020	Los Angeles Clippers (assistant)
2023	Kentucky (assistant)

When Welch was hired at UK, John Calipari said, “John Welch has been involved in every level of basketball and been an important part of the development of NBA careers for guys like Carmelo (Anthony), Pau Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin, and Brook Lopez.

“He loves the game and will be a tremendous asset to our young players and our staff. John has worked closely for decades with Vance Walberg, who developed the dribble-drive offense, and was a pioneer of bringing it to the NBA. With the strength of our guards and perimeter players we need to get back to that style of play. John will be involved heavily in our offensive strategy and will be our lead coach in on-court player development. We’re excited to have him join our program.”

Welch’s son, Riley, was a graduate assistant on Calipari’s staff for the last two seasons after playing for the Wildcats.