McNeese State’s magical moment in the NCAA tournament may be over after the underdog 12-seed from Lake Charles, Louisiana — fresh off a huge upset of No. 5 Clemson — fell to No. 4 Purdue on Saturday, but the Cowboys’ legacy will live on in more ways than one.
Their second-round defeat Saturday to the Boilermakers did nothing to calm the red hot storm surrounding team manager Amir Khan, a 22-year-old from Lake Charles who watched the contest sitting next to none other than Spike Lee.
“If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I’d put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers,” Kahn recited when asked about his signature phrase.
It’s also the same quote on the back of one of Khan’s now sought after t-shirts. There are also socks with his face on them, among other pieces of merchandise, as Khan’s fame has skyrocketed almost overnight.
The avalanche of attention started a few weeks ago when a video of Khan toting a boombox and rapping along with the players on their way to the court picked up serious steam. It then crescendoed in the days before March Madness.
“When it got posted on Monday I tried to stay off social media,” Khan told NBC News in a locker room interview Friday. “But Monday night, when I checked my phone, it was blowing up and everybody was sending me the video.”
He then laughed, adding, “I was like, okay, so this is something bigger than I thought it was.”
Khan has since gone on to sign NIL deals — unheard of and unprecedented for a team manager — starting with Buffalo Wild Wings, Tick Pick and Insomnia Cookies.
According to the McNeese State social media pages and CBS Sports, Khan has added a slew of other endorsements this week including Under Armour and TurboTax.
Khan told NBC News it’s nice to see the support and validation after contributing to the team in so many ways over the years.
“Whether it’s doing the laundry…or on the court, rebounding for the players, setting up and packing for road trips— that’s a lot [of] what we do, and we do a lot of little things off the court.”
The man simply known as ‘Aura’ was described by some of his teammates as “a living legend.”
But he’s not done just yet. McNeese State coach Will Wade is reportedly leaving for NC State this offseason and, according to CBS Sports, is bringing Khan with him as a graduate manager.
As for the city of Lake Charles, it’s a big boost and welcomed positive spotlight after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Laura back in 2020.
The Category 4 Hurricane decimated large sections of the city and forced years of rebuilding, in addition to a lifelong association with a historic natural disaster.
“It means the world to me,” Khan said when asked about the boost to his hometown. “It’s the only city I’ve ever known, really. So for Lake Charles to be on the map now and McNeese — that means a lot that it’s getting the attention that it deserves.”
Sam Brock
