Paul George defends Jared McCain’s TikTok career and likes that he can ‘still be himself and go hoop’

George discussed the rookie’s personality on his podcast, which was recorded before they were even teammates.

Sixers draft picks Jared McCain, left, and Adem Bona at their introductory press conference last week.Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

Published July 2, 2024, 5:53 p.m. ET

Paul George is the biggest addition to the Sixers roster — but he was singing the praises of first-round draft pick Jared McCain before he even joined the squad.

On the latest episode of Podcast P, recorded just after the first round of the NBA draft but before George signed with the Sixers, the eight-time NBA All-Star was joined by New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy and discussed McCain’s social media presence — which has already drawn some attention since he was drafted in Philadelphia, both positive and negative.

McCain is already making TikToks for the Sixers, but he’s also raised some eyebrows.

George doesn’t think the additional pressure of the NBA will break McCain’s spirit.

“Duke is a major platform as it is,” George said. “He’s played at that level that he would get any type of scrutiny that could effect him any type of way already. His personality stands out more than anything. He’s got a personality like, ‘I’m me, I’m gonna do me.’ The fact that he don’t give a [expletive], that he paints his nails and what people say about that, and he could still be himself and go hoop, you can call him anything at that point.”

Coming from Duke, one of the most successful and popular but also widely despised programs in college basketball, McCain is no stranger to the spotlight — and that’s not even including his 3.3 million followers on TikTok.

He already knows exactly what to expect from NBA Twitter after a loss.

“It’s going to be like, ‘Joel Embiid says, Jared, we need you to make a three!’ and then it’s going to say, ‘Jared McCain:’ and it’s going to be one of my TikToks,’” McCain told the Sixers’ Lauren Rosen.

But that’s not going to stop McCain from being himself — and he’s got millions of supporters behind him. McCain has gained over 500,000 followers since he was drafted last week.

“Whether it’s painting my nails, doing TikToks, it’s just stuff I like to do whether people like it or not,” McCain said at his introductory news conference. “A lot of people don’t like it, but that’s fine with me. I’m just going to continue to embrace [it]. And I’m always going to be myself, because that’s what got me here.”