Viral manager Amir ‘Aura’ Khan leaves NC State. What we know about his departure
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- Amir Khan left N.C. State and returned to McNeese State this week.
- A viral tweet alleging an NIL dispute drew over 2.5 million views and national attention.
- Khan’s viral profile and sponsorships rose after McNeese’s 2025 NCAA Tournament run.
Viral college basketball manager Amir “Aura” Khan has left N.C. State and returned to McNeese State.
Khan’s departure gained attention on Thursday when a report on X, formerly Twitter, claimed he left the Wolfpack due to “a lengthy NIL dispute with the university.” The exact reason for his departure is unclear, but N.C. State communications and Khan denied the claim that his return to McNeese was related to NIL.
The original tweet was viewed more than 2.5 million times.
McNeese State sports information director Matthew Bonnette shared a photo of Khan and announced his return to Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Monday. “The one and only @amirk_23 is back on the @McNeeseMBB bench. Welcome back!”
Bonnette tweeted again on Thursday night that it is “great to have @amirk_23 home and back where he belongs.” The official Southland Conference account also shared a tweet about Khan’s return.
Khan led the Wolfpack out of the locker room with an N.C. State-branded boombox on Nov. 3 for the team’s season opener against N.C. Central. He was on the sidelines for several other games, as well. He served as a manager and hype man this summer when Cowboys-turned-Wolfpack assistant coach Brandon Chambers led a team in “The Basketball Tournament.” Chambers’ team included 2024 NCAA Tournament social media darling and former N.C. State forward DJ Burns.
The manager went viral online during McNeese State’s brief run last season for leading the team out of the locker room with its boombox and rapping. His media run peaked during McNeese’s 2025 Southland Conference Tournament and NCAA Tournament run, in which the Cowboys upset Clemson. Khan earned sponsorship deals with several companies, including Intuit Turbotax, Buffalo Wild Wings and Insomnia Cookies.
“I love Amir to death,” said Will Wade in March. Wade was hired at N.C. State after coaching for two years at McNeese State. “We want to do what’s best for Amir. If what’s best for Amir is to come to N.C. State, that’s what we’ll do.”
Khan is from Lake Charles and had never lived outside of Louisiana, Wade said.
“It’s hard to get those guys to roll out of there sometimes,” Wade said. “I’m here to help him. He’s awesome. He volunteered for us for two years, and he’s been phenomenal. If he wants to come to N.C. State, he certainly can. If he needs my help going somewhere else, we’ll certainly help him with that, too.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 3:06 PM.
