Cori Close Signs Latest Contract Extension With UCLA After Leading Bruins To National Title

The UCLA program dominated the 2026 WNBA draft, with a record-setting number of players selected in the first round. The architect of their fate was Cori Close, who developed them into elite players, fostered great chemistry among those stars, and won the program’s first championship.

After the title run, it was a no-brainer for the program to continue with the coach, who already set multiple records and delivered on the big stage. As per the recent update, the program and Close agreed to a multi-year extension.

Cori Close Signs Extension With UCLA Bruins

Even though the SEC team was one of the top sides in the nation for the last two years, they fulfilled their championship dream in the 2025-26 season.

For her performance, the program awarded her a four-year extension and an additional $1 million in compensation, boosting her annual compensation to approximately $2 million.

UCLA Athletics announced a new contract for women’s basketball coach Cori Close that extends through the 2029-30 season.

Close has a 358-144 record in 15 seasons with the Bruins and led UCLA to its first NCAA championship in women's basketball history in April. pic.twitter.com/nxvPq0seaY

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 13, 2026

After the confirmation, the coach said, “I love being here in Westwood, and I am so excited for what the future holds.” The 54-year-old coach has a 358-144 record in 15 seasons and is the only coach in program history to surpass 300 wins.

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The champion coach will be aiming to get closer to the 2026 feat with another ‘perfect’ season for the Bruins. Sadly, though, half of the team has already moved to the WNBA, and the coach will have to start over, recruiting top talent from the transfer portal.

Cori Close With Strong Warning With Current ‘NIL Era’

While the UCLA side was one of the contenders for the titles from the start, coach Close mentioned that it was the best team she had ever coached. Now she faces the challenge of matching that ‘standard’ and finds it difficult to do so in the current NIL era.

In a recent interview, she said, “We just have no boundaries at all. There’s no salary cap. There’s no competitive equity, and what’s happening is the people that are losing, I’m worried, will slow down the growth of the game because it’s shutting out high school athletes. It’s really taking away their percentages of opportunities, and I don’t like it. And you see less four-year development situations.”

The Huskies and Gamecocks are already looking at top talent to challenge the reigning champions, while there is still plenty available in the transfer portal.