Kenny Payne says Kentucky is a basketball state, John Calipari: "Careful!"

John Calipari and Kenny Payne made their first public appearance together since the latter took over as the head basketball coach at the University of Louisville, serving as keynote speakers at the Kentucky Chamber’s 76th Annual Dinner in Louisville on Wednesday.

And like old times, the longtime friends — now coaching rivals — were quick to poke fun and laugh at each other’s expense.

In a conversation about modern recruiting, Payne discussed the importance of avoiding players who prioritize name, image and likeness over school and basketball. In his eyes, NIL should be an added bonus for student-athletes. Calipari agrees.

“It’s not the reason a kid comes to school. It’s not,” Payne said, “If they want to come to school for an NIL deal, I can’t take him.”

“Neither can we,” Calipari added. “They shouldn’t come.”

Then, Payne made a rookie coaching mistake. After watching Calipari take heat for a month for his “basketball school” comments made down in the Bahamas, the Louisville head coach walked down a similar path — a path his former boss at Kentucky told him to be careful taking.

“(NIL) should be the cherry on top,” Payne said. “But to have an even playing field, what better state than this one? This is a basketball state. It’s the best of the best.”

“Careful!” Calipari quickly jumped in.

“I just said state!” Payne joked back. “I said state, I didn’t say program!”

“All I’m saying is, our football program is — they’re seventh in the country, so let’s be fair,” Calipari said. “Thank you Kenny!”

“I said state!” Payne added. “I don’t want to get in that!”

The lighthearted back-and-forth comes after Calipari made it clear facility upgrades were necessary for the basketball program, namely a new practice gym. In a 26-minute interview down in the Bahamas in August, 12 were spent discussing the importance and specifics of those upgrades.

“It’s gotta be bigger because that’s what they are now,” Calipari said. ”People should come in and see this and say, ‘Whoa.’ This is Kentucky basketball, the gold standard in the country.”

And of those 12 minutes, he’d like 30 seconds of it back — or a rewording, at minimum. In that short time, he referred to Kentucky as a “basketball school” in the same sense Alabama and Georgia are ”football schools.”

“You’ve got to be intentional. You’ve got to say, ‘We’re doing this.’ And the reason is, this is a basketball school; it’s always been that,” Calipari said. ”Alabama is a football school. So is Georgia. They are. This is a basketball — no disrespect. Our football team, I hope they win games, ten games, and go to bowls. At the end of the day, that makes my job easier and it makes the job of all of us easier.

“But, this is a basketball school. And so, we need to keep moving in that direction and doing what we’re doing.”

It was a message the football program took personally — namely Mark Stoops.

“I don’t care what anybody says about their program,” Stoops said at the time. ”That’s not my business. That’s not my lane, but when you start talking about my program and others that we compete against — me? I don’t do that. I stay in my lane.

“… I embrace and love the history of our basketball program. I’m proud of it. I love it. I didn’t have that history. We understand we’re creating it. I also know people want to win now. I also know it’s my responsibility to get to the postseason and win.”

Shortly after, a follow-up from the men’s basketball coach.

“I said the wrong thing,” Calipari responded. “… Sometimes it doesn’t come out the right way.”

How are things going with Stoops now? A month later, the dust has settled and the two parties are on good terms.

“He’s a good man,” Calipari said Wednesday. “Look, these jobs are really hard. Unless you’re in them, you don’t realize all of the stuff. Part of it is, we have peoples’ children that we have to look after. That’s a big part of it. Then you have to win. Then you’re doing it where everything’s flying, there are high expectations. How about being in the ACC or SEC? You’re not the only one trying to win. They’re trying to win too.”

After a brief flare-up, the Big Blue Civil War has been settled.

“We went back and — he is a terrific coach and a good man,” Calipari said. ”He and I are fine.”

Should the ”basketball state” comments get back to Stoops and the football program, though, Calipari wants to make it very clear they didn’t come from him. He’s taken enough heat in recent weeks.

“Kenny said that,” Calipari said. “Not me, now!”

“You’re right,” Payne responded. ”(Stoops) is a great man.”