Kansas basketball coach Bill Self says imminent retirement rumor is 'bad info'

Gary Bedore, The Kansas City Star on Mar 25, 2026

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self told The Kansas City Star on Wednesday morning that internet reports of an imminent retirement announcement are incorrect.

“No news. All b.s. Bad info,” Self, Kansas’ 23rd-year head coach, said in a text message.

He also told The Star he had no timeframe to report for a decision. He had no further comment on the matter.

He said after Sunday’s season-ending loss to St. John’s he’d not yet decided if he’d return for a 24th season as Jayhawk coach. He said he would assess his health situation and speak to family members before finalizing a decision. He has been reporting to work this week as usual.

Earlier on Wednesday morning Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported: “There are some loose rumors out there in CBB circles this morning that Bill Self could announce his retirement from today, but a source close to Self tells @CBSSports that is “bad information” and “not on the table as of now.”

It would be reasonable to speculate health would be the biggest part of Self’s final decision.

On Sunday, the 63-year-old coach who has had some heart episodes since the fall of 2022, including an irregular heartbeat issue that had him skip the Colorado road trip this season, said he’s “feeling as good as I’ve felt in a long time.”

He added: “No, I haven’t decided (on returning). I’ll get back and visit with family. I’ve had obviously some issues off the court health-wise. And that will be discussed. But I love what I do. I want to feel good while I’m doing it, though. We’ll get back and we’ll discuss that when we get back.”

A reporter on Sunday asked Self if he needs to reflect upon the next stage of his career “given what you’ve gone through on and off the court.”

“I haven’t really gone through much on the court. I’ve gone through some stuff off the court,” said Self, who has won two national titles at KU. “So I’ll get back and get with family and visit and see what’s going on.”

The Star asked Self on Sunday if he’s “going through anything now? Are you completely healthy?”

“I don’t know about completely,” he said with a smile. “But I’m feeling — I feel as good as I’ve felt in a long time. I’m not making any statements whatsoever. But every year ... when you get to be doing it as long as I’ve done it, I look at it in five-year increments. Now I’m probably looking at it in more two-year increments, so to speak.”

If Self is healthy, the basketball team he’d be coaching in 2026-27 appears to be another top-25 squad. KU is bringing in four high school recruits including highly regarded point guard Taylen Kinney. KU is one of three finalists (Oregon, Kentucky) for the No. 1 high school player in the class of 2026, small forward Tyran Stokes. Also the transfer portal opens April 7.

One of Self’s closest friends, former KU assistant Norm Roberts, on Tuesday told The Star he had no inside information on Self’s impending decision.

“I really don’t have a gut feeling,” Roberts said.

He stressed that Self “does the same thing every year. He evaluates the season, how everything went, and then he gets back (to Lawrence) and then they recruit after that. So I don’t think this is anything different than he’s done every single year. I do think obviously, because of the health issues that he’s had, that’s another variable that’s involved in the decision-making and everything. But I think this is what he does every year. He goes back and looks at the season, sees how they can get better and what they can do to get better.”

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