Kansas HC Bill Self Admits He Considered Retirement This Year: ‘I Thought That Was Probably It'

After St. John's eliminated Kansas in the NCAA Tournament, head coach Bill Self admitted there was a period where he thought he had coached his final game.

Dec 2, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts to play against the UConn Huskies during the second half of the game at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Kansas basketball program has struggled by its standards in recent years, creating a major discussion about Bill Self's future as head coach. While he ultimately decided to stay with the Jayhawks for at least one more season in 2026-27, fans were unsure whether he'd retire due to his recent health issues.

The Hall of Famer joined CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein on Thursday morning for an episode of Inside College Basketball Now. During the podcast, he briefly touched on the period when Jayhawk fans were convinced he was going to call it quits.

After KU was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by St. John's in the Round of 32 on a buzzer-beating layup by Dylan Darling, Coach Self went to the podium for his postgame presser and made some ominous comments. He said he'd have to discuss his future with his family before deciding whether to return to Lawrence.

Self admitted to Rothstein that during this time, he thought he had coached his final game ever.

"But at that moment [after the loss], I thought that was probably it," Self recalled. "In large part because of health issues. And I had been told some things, and I'd had some issues during the season that wasn't documented, that I was like, 'God dang, what am I doing?'"

In this quote, Self notes that he had some health issues that weren't released to the public during the season, not including his brief hospitalization in January 2026 that forced assistant Jacque Vaughn to take over at the helm for one game against Colorado.

Feb 28, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self yells towards the referee during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even then, Self's documented health issues over the past three years have grown to be quite extensive. He missed the entirety of the 2023 Big 12 and NCAA tournaments and needed two stents inserted into his heart for blocked arteries. He also admitted on the podcast that he had a heart attack at some point, likely referring to a July 2025 incident when he needed two additional stents inserted.

Despite all of this, Self clarified that the only reason he thought he was stepping away was that his doctors were going to tell him to. He expressed that he is still coaching because he "wants" to, not because he "has" to.

After undergoing testing with several doctors and exploring different options, Self confirmed with his doctors that he'd be good to coach for another season without any restrictions — aside from a knee replacement surgery this summer that has limited his mobility. Those discussions led to his ultimate decision to return to Kansas for his 24th season.

"After talking to multiple doctors, an expert out of Dallas, doing different things, they said, 'We can handle this, we can change meds, we can do some different things.' And that's what we did," Self said. "I started feeling better immediately. So, I jumped the gun a little bit because I was probably nervous about it, but the reality is, I feel good. I don't have any major issues."

It's unclear what Self will decide to do following the upcoming season, but he's excited to return to the sidelines of Allen Fieldhouse again for at least one last ride.

"Here's the bottom line," he concluded. "I had some issues, they gave me a clean bill of health, and I'm good to go."

Check out the KCSN official website and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest KU basketball and football news.