Sports

HBCU Basketball Star Flaunts Cold Hard Cash At West Virginia After Flipping Commitment From SEC

by Last Updated
Kierra Wheeler NIL Money West Virginia Auburn Flip Basketball
iStockphoto / © Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Kierra Wheeler is not trying to hide the reason for her commitment to West Virginia— money. Either that, or the women’s college basketball star was put in a terrible position in terms of optics.

She literally flaunted cold hard cash in the form of 100-dollar bills to announce her transfer decision.

Wheeler, a rising senior, played the first three years of her college basketball career at Norfolk State. The 6-foot-1 forward averaged 17.6 points on 50% shooting with 9.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore. She averaged 15.8 points on 48% shooting with 8.9 rebounds per game as a junior and led the conference in blocks. Very few players at her position put up those kinds of numbers in last season.

Thus, it was a no-brainer to enter the transfer portal for her final year of eligibility. It was an even easier decision when Spartans head coach Larry Vickers was hired to the same job in the SEC. Kierra Wheeler initially announced that she would follow him to Auburn. That only lasted a few hours. Not even.

On the same day that Wheeler committed to the Tigers, she decommitted. Less than 120 minutes later!

I do not know the exact circumstances of Wheeler’s recruitment. I don’t know what happened on The Plains, or what didn’t happen, that led her to decommit. I’m only able to go off of optics.

It would appear as though West Virginia saw the commitment to Auburn and called up Kierra Wheeler with a much larger NIL offer. At least, that is how I am interpreting her Instagram post. It features no less than 20 (presumably fake) $100 bills with the caption “if you’re reading this it’s too late.”

Kierra Wheeler’s post makes it seem like West Virginia straight up out-bid Auburn. And according to multiple reports, that is exactly what happened. The Tigers were not willing to pay as much money for a one-year deal as other suitors. The Mountaineers must’ve paid the most.

A little on the nose, don’t you think?