‘Zesty hooper’ Jared McCain brings the viral fan he met at Target to the Sixers-Kings game
After spotting McCain at the store, young fan Arrion went viral for his interaction with the Sixers rookie. That was just the start.
Jared McCain made one young Sixers fan’s dream come true on Wednesday night.
After meeting a fan in a local Target, the two immediately bonded — cracking jokes, shopping together, and even singing a duet during what was supposed to be a quick shopping trip for the Sixers rookie.
“They just call me the zesty hooper,” McCain said to the fan, Arrion, while in line at Target.
In a social media clip, Arrion responded, “He might be zesty, but that three … mwah,” while imitating a chef’s kiss.
After the social media clip of the two went viral on Tuesday morning, McCain decided to bring the fan to the Sixers’ home game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, where he was able to meet Paul George, Andre Drummond, rapper OT7 Quanny, and even the Harlem Globetrotters.
In his latest YouTube video, McCain reveals the story behind that viral video, explaining how he and Arrion met, and what they were doing in line together at Target.
McCain was at Target the night before another viral moment, his Starbucks shift, where he was seen working behind the counter as a barista and handing out drink orders to those waiting in line.
At first, McCain can be seen trying to trick a trio of young fans into thinking it wasn’t really him, telling them he’s still in college and plays at Temple. But the first-round pick out of Duke wasn’t fooling young Arrion, who even called out McCain for shooting video for social media, something he does often. So when Arrion’s two other friends stepped away, McCain and his cousin Nate, who was filming, admitted McCain’s true identity.
“You’re actually Jared McCain,” Arrion said in the video, as the Sixers guard tried one last time to hide his identity. “I just seen your Instagram. I’m famous now. What’s up y’all? See, I’m with Jared McCain … You’re my favorite basketball player.”
Arrion was then hired as McCain’s “security/cart pusher” for the rest of the evening. And it was later revealed that McCain did indeed send him money for his efforts, even if Arrion struggled a bit as security, telling fans it was actually someone named “Christopher … McCain.”
“How you going to use my last name?” the rookie guard joked.
Their journey throughout Target included a duet of McCain’s iconic “2 Days Into College” TikTok cover, jokes about how the rookie “lost 100,000 aura” after his injury, and a shoutout to Arrion’s school, Nebinger Elementary in Bella Vista.
Since their viral interaction was posted on Tuesday, Arrion has enjoyed the perks of being “TikTok famous.” The night after their Target trip, Arrion was seen on FaceTime with Nate discussing how he took about 25 photos with people who recognized him from the clip.
Little did Arrion know, he and his father would be surprised with tickets to the Sixers-Kings game on Wednesday. McCain also got Arrion a new jersey with a note written on the back just for him. In addition to meeting some of his favorite players and other stars, Arrion’s night included eating a lot of sushi, meeting some of his fans, and plenty of dancing — and it was all documented on McCain’s YouTube channel.
The night ended the only way it possibly could. After the game, as McCain and Arrion were saying bye to one another, Arrion had one final message: “He might be zesty, but that three … mwah.”
You can watch the full video here: