WWhen the Philadelphia 76ers posted a composite photo of their roster ahead of the 2024-2025 season, all but one player stared dead-eyed at the camera. The exception, who showed nearly all 32 teeth in a wide smile, was freshman guard Jared McCain. The photo would become indicative of the 20-year-old’s image as he began his rookie year in the NBA.
This feeling of smiling in a headshot surrounded by deadpan teammates followed McCain, not only as a player who stands out for his skill and exuberance on the field, but also as a cheerful outsider amid the Very Serious Business that is professional sports. Now, before McCain, there were eccentric players in the professional ranks. Consider Dennis Rodman, who was constantly dogged by controversy due to problematic past statements, stylistic choices or “poorly practiced” behavior. However, McCain’s nonconformity has easily made him one of the most targeted players for hate and vitriol in today’s NBA, giving rise to the “Jared McCain problem.” His biggest controversy yet is being himself.
Early in his professional career during the NBA draft in June, McCain, selected by Philadelphia with the 16th overall pick, crossed the stage to shake hands with commissioner Adam Silver, wearing glossy black nail polish. (“I had to do the nail polish. I went with a simple vibe,” he says told the New York Times.) This light-hearted moment, however, caused a wave of backlash, as fans flooded social media to comment not only on his nails, but also on his perceived online persona. At the time of the draft, Jared McCain had 2.8 million TikTok followers, a number that has since risen to 3.6 million. His content consisted mainly of dancing and lip syncing – videos that had little to do with basketball. Due to his ubiquitous presence on the popular app, the online McCain began to overshadow his professional career before he had even put on a 76ers jersey.
In an August appearance on Philadelphia teammate Paul George’s podcast, McCain reflected on the criticismby saying, ‘At some point you get used to it. I didn’t really like that people were just talking about the nails, the TikToks, more than basketball.” He continued, “When they try to overshadow my hard work in basketball just by saying ‘the TikToks’ or ‘the nails,’ I hate that. But it is something you have to live with.”
During his draft announcement, ESPN aired a series of videos of McCain dancing and lip-syncing in place of his college highlights. A clip from this package went viral on X, and wrote one user“This is ESPN NBA draft coverage from last night of Jared McCain, who was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. Notice they show TikTok videos of him dancing and his painted nails, instead of highlights of him playing basketball,” he wrote. “This is embarrassing.”
Online hate and criticism are no strangers to the NBA, but in McCain’s case, they focus on everything but his play. Before suffering a torn meniscus earlier this month that required surgery, he was averaging 15.3 points per game (the most among first-year players) while emerging as the odds-on favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Year award to be earned. McCain was the saving grace for an injury-plagued Sixers team at the bottom of the standings, stepping up when star players Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George were out with injuries and moving from the bench to the starting five over time. A X user wrote: “Jared McCain really made me shut up about the fact that he’s gay, that kid can shoot hoops.”
Basketball fans’ problem with McCain on a broader level has little to do with the fact that he dances on TikTok or paints his nails. These actions instead expose an underlying problem within sports culture: the pervasive homophobia that links these behaviors to “being gay” and stigmatizes them. McCain has long been plagued by the insult of being “feisty,” a derogatory term for someone who is gay or unmanly; in layman’s terms “fruity”. If you were to search “Jared McCain Zesty”TikTok shows that there have been over a million posts related to this phrase.
The unconscionable level of hatred McCain receives for assuming he is unmasculine or queer is a reminder of the league’s deeper cultural issues, including its deep-seated homophobia. Notably, McCain is not “out,” and his social media suggests he has a girlfriend. “The hate is funny because it’s mostly about grown men and it’s like being a grown man who just hates a child,” McCain said. told Complex during his college years at Duke. Yet the vitriol he faces is particularly shocking when compared to the love his game receives.
Toxic masculinity has long been embedded in sports culture, especially in the hyper-masculine realms of basketball and American football. It requires male athletes to adhere to an outdated view of masculinity – characterized by aggression, emotional restraint and an uncompromising emphasis on dominance. It is expected that this behavior will continue off the field as well. These societal pressures force athletes to suppress vulnerability, fostering a culture that stigmatizes emotional and personal expression and ignores mental health issues, especially among Black men. At the heart of this construct lies the expectation that male athletes embody a calloused exterior and a ruthless, dominant interior—a “kill or be killed” mentality, often described as tapping into their “inner dog.” However, Jared McCain completely defies this archetype.
The league has recently become aware of toxic and violent media and fan culture, as stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have taken time off social media amid criticism of their character and athleticism. But if there’s one thing that’s out of control in sports culture, especially when it comes to the rise of sports betting, it’s the inability to recognize the humanity of athletes – even as they celebrate their achievements on the field. This reflex has been amplified during McCain’s rookie campaign and has awakened this construct that allows fans to be fans while ignoring the personalities of athletes.
The criticism of McCain cannot be traced to his decision to paint his nails. Instead, it reflects a deeper discomfort as he continues to challenge traditional masculinity in sports culture. Through behaviors like dancing on TikTok and singing online, McCain is – whether intentionally or not – questioning the rigid paradigm of what an athlete “should” be. While similar actions by other players have received less attention, McCain’s high visibility in both sports and social media amplifies the backlash. The criticism has become so pervasive that even longtime NBA star Carmelo Anthony publicly reminded fans to focus primarily on McCain’s identity as an athlete.
“Let those guys be themselves, man. Let them do what they do and have fun as if they do it differently than we do. We can’t be mad about that. Those are two completely different generations,” Anthony said in an interview conversation with Complex. He continued: “Jared McCain, if you gotta keep painting your nails, man, he’s still hooping.”
The disproportionate outrage surrounding McCain reflects a broader cultural and generational tension within the sports world, especially as the NBA’s newest class is plagued by an “it’s just not what it used to be” narrative that explains declining TV ratings. The “Jared McCain problem” – a challenge to toxic masculinity, homophobia and the paradox of hating the player while loving his game – could be the kind of problem the league needs.