A Milestone Deal
Cori Close, the architect of UCLA’s recent resurgence, has inked a four‑year agreement that guarantees her roughly $2 million each season, positioning her within the elite tier of women’s college basketball coaches and securing a spot among the top ten highest‑paid figures in the sport.
The contract arrives after a historic campaign in which the Bruins captured their first national championship, establishing new program records for total wins and consecutive victories and cementing Close’s reputation as a transformative leader.
Beyond the scoreboard, Close has championed academic excellence, overseeing a winter quarter in which the team posted a collective 3.7 GPA and guiding six WNBA draftees to graduation, three of whom now hold master’s degrees, underscoring a dual commitment to competition and scholarship.
The agreement, set to run through the 2029‑30 season, builds on a previous contract that paid $1.2 million before incentives and includes bonuses tied to academic benchmarks, reflecting the university’s emphasis on holistic success.