After just one season at Duke Jared McCain‘s NBA dreams came to life last week, selected with the No. 16 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. A moment that was not just documented on ESPN and ABC’s broadcast coverage of the draft, but on McCain’s social media accounts as well.
For as much as he’s known for his play on the court, McCain is also known for his presence on social media. Specifically on the app Tik Tok where his influence is the strongest, boasting 3.3 million followers with frequent videos of himself dancing and documenting his day to day life of an athlete. Which he described as a double life in his first sit down interview as a 76er.
“I get a lot of the Troy Bolton comparisons, Corbin Bleu comparisons. That’s my player comp right now,” McCain said jokingly referring to High School Musical. “But yeah, it’s kind of cool to have two different lives almost, obviously the social media and the basketball.”
“But a lot of stuff I do is almost combined with it, I try to have fun, that’s literally the main thing I do with life,” McCain added. “I talk to God about it a lot every day and I kind of bring that onto the court. I’m just having fun and I’m out there doing what I loved since I was four years old.”
McCain’s Tik Toks regularly receive millions of views and likes, also known for frequently featuring his family members and teammates as he gives behind the scenes access to his moments off the court. But having a strong presence on social media is not always fun and games, often times coming with criticism as well.
Criticism has become a calling card for Philadelphia sports fandom, regarded as one of the most demanding and hard to please fanbases in all of professional sports. But his time spent with the Blue Devils has prepared McCain for what’s to come.
“They’re ride or die with their team,” McCain said regarding Duke and Philadelphia fans. “Even since high school I’ve had the social media, I’ve gotten hate since high school, I’ve painted my nails since high school, so I understand. The Tik Toks are always going to come into play after one bad game, I understand it.”
Now more than ever fans can make their voice heard on social media, but McCain’s understanding of it works in his favor. Even forecasting what memes will come his way when things don’t go his way on the court.
“I’ve been on Twitter, it’s going to be like, ‘Joel Embid says Jared we need to make a three.’ And it’s like Jared McCain, and then it’s gonna be one of my Tik Toks. I already know what it’s gonna be,” McCain explained. “But I think going to Duke set me up for that, I already know what’s going to come with it and I’m prepared for it and I just embrace it. I try to just work as hard as I can and prove everyone that I belong here.”
McCain had a standout lone season for Duke last year, named to the ACC All-Rookie team after being the team’s second-leading scorer with 14.3 points per game on 46.2% shooting from the field and 41.4% from behind the three-point line. As he’ll now look to translate his game, and his aura, to the next level as a rising star both on and off the court.
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