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Chad Baker-Mazara is kicking off his final year of college basketball. The former Auburn Tiger transferred to the University of Southern California in the offseason.
He posted a message to social media after the Trojans picked up their first win. His former fanbase took issue with the comment.
Man i’m blessed to be w a bunch of guys that care bout winning!!
Baker-Mazara scored 12 points and brought down seven rebounds in his debut vs. Cal Poly. He then expressed excitement for the season ahead.
Auburn fans took it as a slight. They quickly went after the former Tiger online. It further fueled bad blood that stemmed from a failed marriage.
Chad Baker-Mazara left Auburn.
That decision was highly publicized as rumors leaked about his departure. There were reports of unhappiness as it pertains to his NIL payment.
The forward entered the transfer portal in April. He left behind a notable payday in the process.
He was said to have signed a seven-figure deal for his final season of play. After seeing a teammate receive a significantly higher salary, he reportedly demanded a raise.
A narrative quickly developed: He was holding Auburn hostage.
Those supposed renegotiations never developed into an agreement. Baker-Mazara packed his bags for Los Angeles.
Reports subsequently centered around a potential $600,000 penalty for breaking his contract with the Tigers. Auburn had grounds to sue its former player.
A buyout clause in that deal that would force Baker-Mazara to pay 60% of the agreed upon salary back to Auburn should he leave. The Tigers wrote that language into the deal after seeing others in college sports get burned.
USC went above and beyond to ensure its new addition’s financial asks were met with that possible breach in mind. Chad Baker-Mazara now appears happy on the West Coast.
He’s also still living rent free in Auburn.
Will he expose the Tigers?
Now, let’s get back to the social media message that sparked the back-and-forth with his old fanbase. Followers believed Baker-Mazara was throwing shade at Auburn’s basketball program, which narrowly beat Bethune-Cookman.
He claims he was not. That topic is still open for debate.
The forward did clap back at the Tigers after receiving the initial backlash. He posted a response a few hours later directly aimed at his former supporters.
I love that now everything i say they wanna take it personal like no one is talkin bout ya!! Ya get a life mannn
He then went a step further with a promise to expose Auburn after the college basketball season.
Ya sayin i left when i didn’t want to ya folks dont know the story bout how everything really went down. Rn im just playin my cards after the szn ya gonna get the whole story bout what happened
Baker-Mazara says he didn’t want to leave Auburn. He signed on to stay at the university before his senior season. For one reason or another, that deal fell through.
We don’t definitively know what took place behind closed doors. The Tigers have their story. Baker-Mazara has his. He might just bring it to the forefront.