Former Tulane Basketball Star Inks Lucrative Contract With Charlotte Hornets

It’s rare that a player who transfers from a program continues to be revered at his former one, but that’s precisely the case for former Tulane Green Wave basketball star Sion James.

Fans watched and rooted for James during the 2025 NBA draft as they saw him get selected 33rd overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round.

Not only was James the first Green Wave player to be drafted since Melvin Frazier Jr. was taken 35th overall by the Orlando Magic in 2018, but he was also the highest player drafted since Mel Payton was taken 19th overall by the then-Philadelphia Warriors in 1951.

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James transferred to the Duke Blue Devils for the 2024 college basketball season, where he teamed up with Kon Knueppel, who was the Hornets’ fourth overall pick.

As of Friday, James has officially signed his NBA rookie contract, as reported by Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype.

Charlotte reportedly has signed James to a four-year, $9.97 million deal, with the first two years being $4.7 million guaranteed. That is the maximum allowed under the new second-round exception.

There will be a third-year trigger date and a fourth-year team option, as Scotto reports.

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Now that James is officially a Hornet, he can look forward to playing in the Summer League alongside his fellow rookie class, which includes former UConn Husky Liam McNeely, who was selected 29th overall, and former Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who was taken by Charlotte one pick after James.

While he finished his college career with the Blue Devils, James was invaluable to Tulane in his four seasons with the program as a leader on and off the court as he developed as a player and man.

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He started in 107 of 114 career games with the Green Wave, racking up 1,084 points, 520 rebounds, 337 assists and 187 steals.

James was the first player to win the AAC Sportsmanship Award twice in the 2023 and 2024 seasons and was the two-time chair of the AAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

He also completed nearly 350 hours of community service at Tulane, earning him the distinction of the Freeman School of Business Dean's Service Award and the Newcomb-Tulane College Student-Athlete Award.

His impact on the Green Wave program highlights the traits the Hornets are coveting as they look to change their team culture.

For more Tulane news, head over to Tulane Green Wave On SI.