Jared McCain is one of the most successful student-athletes in the country. The 19-year-old recently enrolled as a freshman at Duke University and joined the Blue Devils as a shooting guard. McCain’s star power is made on the court and social media. He currently shares snapshots of his life with 2 million followers on TikTok. The basketball player is also ranked among those with the highest NIL valuations at $1 million, according to On3.
McCain received the hate that often comes with being in the spotlight – specifically for his nails, which he regularly paints blue as a nod to Duke’s colors.
“Some of these people hate, I don’t know if they do take care of their body,” he told Complex. “So, I just like getting the color and it’s always been myself. I’ve always been big on just being yourself in any situation possible. And never letting somebody tell you what, what you can and can’t be. So, doing the painted nails is kind of a part of me now. I just kind of do it whether I get to hate or not.”
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The shooting guard thinks the people who leave hate comments aren’t to be addressed other than with a laugh.
“The hate is funny because it’s usually grown men most of the time and it’s like you’re a grown man just hating on a kid,” McCain added. “It doesn’t affect me at all. I kind of just laugh at it.”
He points to how he was raised to be authentic and take care of himself as a reason why he started to paint his nails.
“I mean, at an early age I’ve always been told to just be myself, like I’m always just gonna be myself and as for the painted nails, I saw it during quarantine and I just started doing it,” he said. “I never saw anything wrong with it like. I understand girls do it. I understand men have started to do it a little more recently, but it was just something I saw and I like to get manicures and pedicures. I take care of my body.”
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McCain may only be in the early stages of his collegiate career, he has been able to rely on his family to keep him grounded as his popularity soars.
“I think my support system and family has helped me to just stay humble,” he says. “Doing the TikToks and how it became popular or whatever is just another part of my personality.”
