Bill Self health update: Kansas coach shares significant change in his status after hospitalization

Nearly two weeks after he was hospitalized after he experienced some concerning symptoms (which led to a heart procedure), Kansas‘ Bill Self has revealed that he received a clean bill of health from the doctors and will have no restrictions while coaching this season.

Self is preparing for his 23rd season at Kansas, where he has a career 609-148 record. He previously missed the Big 12 tournament and NCAA tournament in 2023 due to a health scare and Norm Roberts coached the Jayhawks in Kansas City that year.

Just got off the phone with Kansas coach Bill Self after his health scare a couple weeks ago in which he underwent a heart catheterization and had two stents placed for blocked arteries:

Self said he received a clean bill of health from the doctors, has been back in the office…

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) August 8, 2025

“Just got off the phone with Kansas coach Bill Self after his health scare a couple weeks ago in which he underwent a heart catheterization and had two stents placed for blocked arteries,” Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman wrote on Friday. “Self said he received a clean bill of health from the doctors, has been back in the office daily, is able to play golf and is looking forward to the players returning in about 10 days.”

The Okmulgee, OK native had two stents inserted during the procedure, Kansas said. He wasn’t feeling well and later went to Lawrence Memorial Hospital for further evaluation. The head coach released a statement on the matter following his release.

“I want to thank all the amazing doctors and nurses at LMH Health for the excellent care I received during my stay there,” Self said last week. “I feel strong and am excited to be home. Our team has had a productive summer and look forward to our batteries being recharged and prepping for this upcoming season.”

Bill Self discusses if he would want successor hired from within

Now 62 years old, Self joined CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein (prior to his procedure) to discuss his potential successor at Kansas. When Self ultimately decides to retire, the Jayhawks will be hiring a head coach for the first time since 2003.

“You know what I think,” Self started. “I hope we hire the best guy that gives Kansas the best chance to have the best basketball future moving forward. Would I love for that guy to be one of my guys? Absolutely. Or have ties to Kansas? Absolutely. In a perfect world, yes. The answer is an emphatic yes. But at the end of the day, you know what I would probably hope? If that guy has ties… that’s fantastic. If he doesn’t have ties, go get the best guy that can take this program, hopefully even to another level. I think that’s the goal that we have.”

“I can certainly see keeping it in the family, so to speak, but the reality of it is that you don’t do that at the expense of taking a step backwards. And right now, I think I’ve got a guy or two on my staff that would be fantastic. But timing is everything and they could have kept in the family whenever Roy [Williams] left. I don’t want to speak for others, but from my vantage point, it’s worked out decent.”

This is ultimately true, as hiring from within has worked both negatively and positively for many college programs. Kentucky and North Carolina‘s hirings of alumni Mark Pope and Hubert Davis have worked well, but Louisville and Indiana‘s hiring of alumni Kenny Payne and Mike Woodson have crashed and burned.

“You look at others that keep it in the family and it’s worked out great. But then you look at scenarios where it doesn’t work out great both ways. So I don’t know that you can say positively what needs to happen before you actually know the situation and the candidates that could potentially be involved.”

Kansas opens its 2025 season in an exhibition matchup against Louisville. The game will be played on Oct. 24.