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Brandon Rahbar: Mark Daigneault on Jared McCain being aggressive with his shot: “Seems it to me. I haven’t known him that long. But he keeps chucking them up there.” “The team puts the wind at his back.. ..it’s a huge credit to Jared but I also think it’s a credit to the team.”
Jared McCain has amassed 223 million likes -- and counting. He blends these two lives: one as a professional hooper who dropped 15 points hours earlier in a loss to the Nuggets, and the other as a TikTok creator with equal parts personality and dance moves. For his Thunder teammates, that night at the airport marked a fun opportunity to create content. For McCain, it's another example of the impact his platform has -- turning him into a household name ... with his fans including those who have never seen him splash a 3-pointer. "I think it's really cool that people come up to me and still don't know I play basketball," McCain told ESPN. "They only know me from TikTok. I think that's really cool. The fact that I have two different platforms like that, two different ways of knowing me, I think it's awesome."
Other NBA players took notice. "Just being on social media, of course you see Jared. You see his TikToks all over," Jaylin Williams told ESPN. "But I mean really at the time, I just saw him as a young kid doing TikToks." As McCain gained traction on the app, his posts often included comments from viewers like: "Imagine if Jared was on the Thunder." "Yeah I've seen those," McCain said, smiling. "It's pretty crazy how it's a full circle moment." The 76ers dealt McCain to the Thunder on Feb. 2. Two days later, his first statement after the move came on TikTok. He shared a "tribute to Philly" by singing a snippet from Olivia Dean's "A Couple Minutes."
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: You were one of the first to really lean into the “vlog” style in the Bubble. When you look at guys like Jared McCain having such a viral presence on social media now, how do you reflect on your own digital journey? Matisse Thybulle: I do appreciate the baby steps that me and some of the other guys took in COVID-19 during the bubble and all that; as far as putting ourselves out there in social media in new and unique ways I think it paved the way for kids like him go and take up such a viral presence on TikTok and whatever apps out there. Me personally, I feel like I did my thing and I don’t really want to get more out of I don’t want that kind of attention anymore so it’s nice to see other people doing it in their way and getting the attention they want for it.
Justin Martinez: Jared McCain seems pretty comfortable with the Thunder
Jared McCain seems pretty comfortable with the Thunder pic.twitter.com/AFX5mstJQT
— Justin Martinez (@Justintohoops) April 11, 2026
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Just because Jared McCain happens to be in his second year in the NBA on a rookie contract worth nearly $20 million doesn’t mean he’s throwing caution to the wind when it comes to his spending habits as a sports card collector. Case in point, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard signed one of his best and rarest rookie cards — a one-of-a-kind 2024-25 Panini Flawless NBA Logoman patch card from his time as a Philadelphia 76er — with his name and the inscription, “I need this card back.” The card is set to change hands from its original owner after selling for $73,505 via auction through Goldin on March 14. Who’s hands, though? Not McCain’s. At least not yet. “Everybody thought it was me,” McCain said. “I was like, ‘Guys, I am not spending $70,000 on a card.’ Yeah, I do need it back. But you know, maybe that’s a second contract type of purchase. I don’t know if that’s a rookie contract purchase.”
Have you made any crazy trades or any good finds? Jared McCain: I went to the National (Sports Collectors Convention) last year. I was walking around and someone was like, “You want to do a trade?” And I was like, “Sure.” I’m looking for this Curry card that he had. It’s the classic (2009 Topps Chrome Curry rookie card in a BGS 9.5 grade). Not the Refractor, but it has that shiny look. I was looking for that and he said, “If you beat me in a pop-a-shot (basketball game), then I can get it for free.” I was like, “Well, this is a perfect deal.” Then I forget what I had to give up (if I lost). I was a little scared because pop-a-shot, it’s not real basketball. You never know how good someone could be. But I clutched it up and I was able to get that for free. It was a great bargain for me.
Derek Bodner: Jared McCain was asked whether there was a particular reunion that stood out during his return to Philadelphia. "Man. Everyone." "There's so many people who touched me in this organization and have been able to put a smile on my face on some days, I'm just super grateful for that."
Derek Bodner: Jared McCain, on the reaction he received from Sixers fans: "I really believe in you put good energy out, and it comes right back to you...I'm super grateful that they show [love] right back." "It's really awesome to be a part of, and to feel."
Brandon Rahbar: Thunder improve to 57-15. 12 straight wins. 4 straight wins over Philly. SGA: 22 PTS/9-13 FG Chet: 17 PTS/3-4 3PT/5 BLK JWill: 18 PTS/5-7 3PT JDub in his return: 18 PTS/8-14 FG/6 AST McCain in his return to Philly: 13 PTS/3-7 3PT Next up: Celtics in Boston on Wednesday.
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Justin Martinez: Asked Jared McCain if he feels he was able to close a chapter in his return to Philadelphia tonight: “A little bit. I think it’s always going to feel weird because it just happened so quickly and it’s been like a month or so. It was nice to come back, but it definitely will always feel weird coming back here. It’s like a nostalgic feeling to come back and not live here. Hopefully that closure comes soon, but I still don’t think I have the closure yet.”
Austin Krell: OKC Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault on the Jared McCain trade: "I'm not involved in the trades. So I'm not going to make comments on the acquisitions. I do know I have high respect for Philadelphia, their decision-making process, their group. I know that transactions are to be evaluated in a sequence. They aren't to be evaluated in a vacuum. They are set up by previous transactions, they set up future transactions. It's hard to evaluate those things in a vacuum. You never know what a team is planning and how that fits in. That's why our group, Sam and his guys and Daryl Morey and his guys do their due diligence and work the league around the deadline. That's why all this happens. But I do have great respect for their front office."
Justin Martinez: Asked Isaiah Hartenstein what it’s been like to get to know Jared McCain off the court: “Great person. I think, just in general, he’s a great human being. He really fits that locker room. But again, that’s something that you have to give Sam (Presti) a lot of respect with. He doesn’t just look for talent. He looks for people that fit a culture, and I think that’s something that’s really important.”
