St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino refuted claims the team would be dropping over $5 million in NIL this offseason, calling it a “total fabrication,” according to basketball insider Adam Zagoria.
Original reports came from sports journalist Kevin McNamara, who claimed St. John’s budget could be around $5-6 million, with sights set on Joson Sanon and Bryce Hopkins and on retaining RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor.
Rick Pitino Refutes St. John’s $5 Million Plus NIL Valuation
After an impressive season that saw the Johnnies win both the Big East regular season and tournament titles, clinching a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament before a second-round loss to Arkansas, Pitino’s team is looking to retool and reload for an even better 2025-26.
According to McNamara, the team set aside a budget of around $5-6 million and focused on retaining top scorers Ejiofor and Luis, who combined for almost 33 points per game this season. The team also had its sights set on Arizona State’s Joson Sanon, who is reportedly leaving the Sun Devils for New York.
Rick Pitino texted me to say this amount of NIL for @StJohnsBBall is a ‘total fabrication’ https://t.co/d7iX3OntKa
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 26, 2025
Sanon, one of the best players to enter the portal thus far, played 28.3 minutes per game for Arizona State, averaging 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and one assist his freshman year. Now, the Fall River, Massachusetts native moves closer to home, hoping to develop and further his NBA aspirations under Pitino.
McNamara also claimed Hopkins would be a big target for Pitino. The Providence forward averaged 17 points, 7.7 rebounds, and three assists before suffering a season-ending bone bruise. Hopkins transferred to the Friars after one year with Kentucky, starting all 33 games his sophomore year before tearing his ACL 14 games into his junior year. He’ll have one more year of eligibility remaining.
KEEP READING: Rick Pitino’s Big East Success Continues as 5-Star Transfer Joson Sanon Chooses St. John’s
Hopkins reportedly Zoomed with Pitino Monday night in a meeting that went “really well,” per sources. He will visit Georgetown, led by former Friar head coach Ed Cooley Thursday and Friday, then head to St. John’s over the weekend.
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