Wong threatens to leave Miami Hurricanes basketball team if his NIL pay doesn’t increase
Miami Hurricanes basketball standout Isaiah Wong will enter the transfer portal on Friday if nobody steps forward to give him more money in a name, image and likeness deal, his NIL agent said Thursday.
Agent Adam Papas told ESPN that Wong will enter the transfer portal this week if no new deal surfaces.
“If Isaiah and his family don’t feel that the NIL number meets their expectations, they will be entering the transfer portal [Friday], while maintaining his eligibility in the NBA draft and going through the draft process,” Papas said.
Wong already has an NIL deal, with South Florida billionaire and Hurricanes fan John Ruiz, but Ruiz told ESPN and The Miami Herald that he would not re-negotiate Wong’s contract, which is worth $100,000, according to Canesport.com.
“Isaiah is under contract,” Ruiz said. “He has been treated by LifeWallet exceptionally well. If that is what he decides, I wish him well, however, I do not renegotiate! I cannot disclose the amount, but what I can say is that he was treated very fairly.”
Papas told The Miami Herald that Wong’s deal with Ruiz isn’t exclusive, and that “anyone in Miami” can sign Wong to another NIL deal.
As an example, UM quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has more than a dozen deals with different companies.
Would Wong stay at Miami if another local businessman offers something that Wong considers adequate, to supplement the income he’s earning from Ruiz?
“Very possibly,” Papas said in a text message.
Papas also negotiated new UM point guard Nijel Pack’s deal with Ruiz.
In exchange for promoting one of Ruiz’s companies, LifeWallet, Pack will receive $800,000 over the next two seasons, as well as use of a luxury vehicle while he’s a student at UM.
“It’s a unique situation just completing Nijel Pack’s deal with Miami,” Papas, who also handles UM forward Jordan Miller’s NIL deals, told ESPN. “Understanding what John Ruiz is trying to do with the NIL space and the city of Miami, we feel the value of Isaiah Wong should meet or exceed the value of an incoming transfer.
“Isaiah would like to stay at Miami. He had a great season leading his team to the Elite Eight. He has seen what incoming Miami Hurricane basketball players are getting in NIL and would like his NIL to reflect that he was a team leader of an Elite Eight team.”
Wong has made himself eligible for the NBA Draft but can withdraw his name by June 13 and maintain his draft eligibility for a future year. He would be a fourth-year junior if he returns to UM.
Pack, for Kansas State last season, averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists and shot 45.5 percent overall and 43.6 percent on three-pointers. He was voted first team All-Big 12.
Wong, for UM last season, averaged 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 30.2 percent on three pointers. He was voted third team All-ACC.
Ruiz has signed or pending contracts with 111 Hurricanes student athletes, at a total value of $5 million.
This is the first known example of a player publicly threatening to leave his school if he doesn’t receive a more lucrative NIL deal.
College athletes - in football, basketball and other sports - must enter the transfer portal by Sunday to maintain eligibility to play during the 2022-03 academic year for another FBS (football) or Division 1 (basketball) program. A player is not required to sign with another school by Sunday to maintain eligibility to play next season.
UM declined to comment on Thursday night. The university also has declined to discuss Ruiz’s involvement, but a source inside UM’s administration praised Ruiz for being “a great supporter and great businessman.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 12:04 AM.
