The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first bobblehead of viral sensation Amir “Aura” Khan, the McNeese basketball manager who became the first student manager to land NIL deals.
Standing on a base bearing his name, the smiling Amir “Aura” Khan bobblehead has a boombox draped around his neck. The bobbleheads, which will be individually numbered, are currently available exclusively through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s online store. The bobbleheads cost $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order and are expected to ship in September.
A senior from Lake Charles, Louisiana, Amir Khan’s second season as a student manager for the McNeese men’s basketball team was an eventful one. The 22-year-old sports management major first went viral on Feb. 22 when he was rapping “In & Out” by Lud Foe word-for-word while leading the Cowboys out for the game from their locker room wearing an enormous boombox around his neck.
His rise to fame helped him land initial NIL deals with Buffalo Wild Wings, TickPick and Insomnia Cookies. After 12th-seeded McNeese knocked off No. 5 Clemson in the first round for the school’s first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament, Khan added Intuit TurboTax, Under Armour and Topps to his NIL portfolio. The nickname “Aura” comes from the drip and bling that Khan wears on the sidelines. When McNeese took the court two days later to face Purdue, Khan was sporting a custom jumpsuit that read “Aura,” courtesy of Under Armour.
Before his team’s first-round game against Clemson, Khan once again led McNeese onto the court at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. McNeese’s cheerleaders wore socks with the team manager’s face plastered all over them, and “Aura” took selfies with fans in the stands. CBS Sports featured on a graphic after his team’s first-round victory titled “The Amir Khan Effect.”
The Cowboys won a combined 58 games in the two seasons that Khan served as manager. McNeese had only 22 wins in the two seasons before his arrival.
“If they kept manager stats for rebounds and wiping up wet spots on the court, I’d put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers,” Khan said on the official McNeese athletics website.
When North Carolina State hired McNeese coach Will Wade shortly after the season-ending defeat, rumors began that “Aura” would relocate to Raleigh to team up with his coach as a graduate assistant. Khan, however, denied those reports.
“We’re excited to unveil the first bobblehead of Amir “Aura” Khan, who is likely the most famous manager in college basketball history,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “Amir has become a social media sensation with his popularity skyrocketing during March Madness. This bobblehead is a must-have for people who have been captivated by Amir’s viral rise to fame.”
