VIDEO: Will Wade speaks on NC State exit: Says fans have great passion “I’ve seen both sides of that passion.”

Will Wade hasn’t been asked directly about his NC State exit until now.

How hard was it for Will Wade to leave NC State after just one season?https://t.co/c9JLel3odd (Apple)https://t.co/EsZxIkcHSA (Spotify)https://t.co/fJrlprce4Q (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/wuj7Ed3tFE

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 5, 2026

Jon Rothstein asked Wade, point-blank, if it was hard to leave NC State after one year. Here is what he had to say:

Jon Rothstein: Was it hard to leave NC State after just one season?

Will Wade: Yes, uh… it was very difficult. Um, it’s something that, you know, I thought about quite a bit. I stayed up at night when I knew the LSU job would be a possibility and had to weigh the pros and the cons of it.

You know, NC State was great during the year that I was there. Um, the fan support is phenomenal. They’ve got some of the most passionate fans in all of college basketball. Um, to fill up that arena… I think I saw something where NC State led the nation in attendance, maybe their attendance is moving up. I think we moved up like 4,000 people a game, uh, 3,500 people a game. Maybe I don’t remember the exact number. Somebody showed it to me.

But look, NC State’s a tremendous, tremendous basketball opportunity, basketball job. And I know Coach Gainey will do a great job there. They’ve got passionate fans, great fans. Uh, I’ve seen both sides of that passion, which I totally understand and totally get. But it’s a great place. They’ve got good leadership with Boo Corrigan and [I know] that they’ll continue to support the program and do everything they can to chase down another national championship at NC State. And that’s what we’re going to do here at LSU as well.

Full interview: