Jared McCain carries a big social media presence with him as he prepares to enter the NBA, particularly on TikTok. The guard used that to his advantage as a freshman at Duke, using it to create business opportunities for himself through NIL.
McCain has nearly 3 million followers on TikTok and ranked third among all college basketball players with a $1.2 million NIL valuation according to On3. He joined ESPN’s NBA Today ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday evening to talk about how he manages basketball with social media, including advice on when and when not to post.
“I’ve never really had trouble with it,” McCain said of his TikTok presence. “They think I’m on Tik Tok like 10 hours a day, but a Tik Tok literally takes 10 seconds, 15 seconds. I grab my teammates after we win. I definitely know not to post after a loss.”
McCain explained that the comments can be ruthless if his team loses or he has a bad performance. So in either of those cases, it’s best just to stay quiet until better results come.
“(I learned that) pretty quickly in high school,” he said. “I know the comments will be flooded with ‘you just took an L,’ everything. If you had two points, they’re gonna let you know about it.”
Jared McCain roasts Richard Jefferson with TikTok advice: ‘You gotta have hair’
All the talk of TikTok led ESPN analyst and former NBA player Richard Jefferson to jokingly ask McCain what he can do to boost his own following. The Blue Devils guard was quick on his feet with a clever comeback that left the entire crew laughing.
“For you, I would say I think hair is really a big thing on TikTok,” McCain said. “Having this hair molecule. You know what I’m saying? It’s just one of those things you have to have.”
McCain certainly showed why he has such a large social media following with his charisma in the interview. Now he’ll look to continue to find success on the court as well as he prepares for his rookie year.
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds this past season while shooting 41.3% from 3-point range. He is currently projected to be taken No. 16 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers according to On3’s James Fletcher.
The 2024 NBA Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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