Jared McCain’s – Jared McCain brought his “contagious energy” to Oklahoma City’s 122-113 Game 2 win over the San Antonio Spurs, scoring 12 points with three 3-pointers while his painted nails, TikTok dances, and unapologetic confidence follow him from the practice floor to the
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jared McCain didn’t just step onto the floor for Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. He showed up in full color.
On Wednesday. the Oklahoma City Thunder guard wore multicolored painted nails with creative designs. a Gen Z signature he says helped him earn both fans and haters. In the Thunder’s 122-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. his off-court persona matched what Thunder teammates described on the court: movement nonstop. energy loud. and a willingness to stay himself even when people stare.
After the win, McCain acknowledged he’s gotten pushback for his TikTok dances and nail art.
“The painting of the nails. the TikTok [dances] and being able to do that. I definitely got hate for it. ” McCain told Andscape after Game 2. “But it wasn’t an in-your-face kind of thing because I started it during COVID [the coronavirus pandemic]. It’s something I like doing. But basketball has always been the main thing, and people try to deteriorate that and make it about other things.”.
McCain said he credits his family for the confidence that lets him keep doing it.
“I’ve always been comfortable doing it and comfortable in my own skin. I credit my parents and my family for providing me that confidence.”
In Game 2, that confidence translated directly to production. McCain scored 12 points, made three 3-pointers, and added six rebounds and three assists. He played more than seven fourth-quarter minutes and closed the game on the floor for Oklahoma City.
It was his 40th game with the Thunder after a midseason trade that brought him over from the Philadelphia 76ers. Since the start of the second round, he has averaged 10.8 points off the bench in six Thunder games.
Teammates noticed the way his personality carried into team life. Thunder guard Alex Caruso described McCain as the kind of presence that lifts a locker room while also sharpening the details of the game.
“Jared has been enlightening for us as a team from a personality standpoint,” Caruso said to media after the game. “Anybody who has gotten to talk to him or see him since he’s been here. [knows] he has endless energy every single day and he’s always smiling. joking. being a part of the team and being a great teammate.
“That translates to his game as well. He is constantly moving on offense, which is manipulating the defense. He’s starting to pick up some of our other principles. He picked up a big offensive rebound tonight. I’m not sure he did much of that with the teams [he played for] prior, at any level. He’s learning and his energy is contagious any time he is on the court. Everybody playing with him can feel it.”.
McCain’s impact has stood out even more because, just two seasons into his career, his path to Oklahoma City is still relatively new. The former Duke guard was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
Early in his rookie season, he looked like an early favorite for the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year award. In Philadelphia’s first 23 games, he averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 38.3% from 3-point range.
Then, on Dec. 14, 2024, his season ended after a meniscus tear in his left knee.
“It definitely was a shock,” McCain said. “It was my first big injury in general. It was something that was hard to deal with at the time, but I trust God. He has a plan for me. I always trusted it. Throughout the whole process, I just tried to learn as much as I could sitting on the bench. It was tough, though.
“It was one of my goals to finish out the [season], especially when I first started [well]. I thought I could be Rookie of the Year. That kind of going away was tough, but I knew God had a plan.”
As the season moved on. McCain struggled to regain the numbers that once put him in the Rookie of the Year conversation. With rookie guard VJ Edgecombe quickly emerging as a starter for Philadelphia, McCain averaged 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 37 games. He also missed time due to a right thumb surgery.
Even with the challenge for playing time, McCain said he loved being with the Sixers and in Philadelphia.
On Feb. 3, though, that routine changed fast. McCain said he learned he was being traded to the Thunder while the team was moving between locations.
“I was on the bus with the Sixers and we were heading to the airport in San Francisco. We just played Golden State,” McCain said. “I texted my agent for a gym in L.A. and he called me, and I think he’s calling me about the gym. He is like. ‘They’re about to trade you.’ Then [then-Sixers president Daryl Morey] called me five minutes later and told me I was traded. It was pretty wild, and I started crying immediately.
“Those are my brothers and still are my brothers to this day. It was definitely tough. They thought I was joking when I told them, and then I started crying. Then they were like. ‘Oh. this is serious.’ Then we got off the bus and they all came up to me and I still went on the plane with them to L.A. I still miss Philly to this day. I never was able to see my house again because we were on the road. It’s little things like that. I miss my routine, but I’m definitely blessed to be here.”.
The trade didn’t just move McCain across the map. It shifted what he had to learn. Oklahoma City, already reshaped by the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, needed immediate help on the floor.
Gilgeous-Alexander was missing nine games with an abdominal strain, and McCain quickly filled that gap as the Thunder leaned on his scoring.
Off the court, he became a fan favorite almost right away. McCain did an impromptu TikTok dance for Thunder fans who were at the airport to welcome the team home after the final road trip of the regular season. McCain said Gilgeous-Alexander recorded it on his cellphone.
Thunder guard Luguentz Dort said the fit felt natural quickly.
Dort told Andscape that McCain actually seemed to fit in with the Thunder in “two to three days.” Dort added that the California native is a “worker” who often gets extra shots up late at the Thunder’s practice facility.
“The first week or two that he was here felt like he had been here the whole season,” Dort told Andscape. “That is the type of guy he is. That is the type of locker room we have. Really funny and really loud, and he blended in with everyone really quick. …
“The dance was funny. We came back from the last [road] game of the [regular] season, and our fans always show love to us. And when we got back, he was new to it, he didn’t know about it. The type of guy that he is; he was just trying to be fun. He went out there and started dancing and Shai was right by him recording. It was a cool moment.”.
McCain described the welcome as something that felt immediate.
“They welcomed me immediately when I got traded. The staff, the team, the city in general. It just felt right when I got here. … But the dance was one of those things where I said, ‘You want to do it?’ We kind of just did it waiting for our bags.
“It was awesome. It was a fun moment for everyone. For Shai to be there and record for me was a cool moment and got me close to a team I really love. I really loved everybody here.”
Game 2 turned those personal moments into tangible impact. McCain provided both offense and comedic relief during the Spurs matchup.
He banked in a 26-foot 3-pointer during a 11-0 run that pushed Oklahoma City’s lead to 13 points midway through the fourth quarter. He also played in the final minute of the win and assisted Gilgeous-Alexander on an 18-foot step-back jumper that gave the Thunder a 120-113 lead with 42 seconds left.
And when Gilgeous-Alexander launched a late-game jump shot, the emotion in the moment spilled over. McCain was yelling while Gilgeous-Alexander was shooting, and the two exchanged words afterward.
Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters: “Jared was yelling at me while I was shooting. I was like, ‘Bro, I’m shooting. Don’t distract me,’”
“I was literally telling Jared to calm down. That is what great shooters do. They let you know when they’re open. We hashed it out. We’re good.”
From Philadelphia to Oklahoma City, McCain’s story has moved quickly—felt in his numbers, his routines, and the way teammates describe his energy.
Now the Thunder are three wins away from returning to the NBA Finals, giving the second-year guard his first real chance to play on the sport’s biggest stage.
“It means the world. The year I’ve had, I can’t even believe I’m here to be honest,” McCain said. “When I pray every day, it’s crazy. To be three wins away, I just want to take one game at a time, be present and do whatever I can to help this team win.”
Jared McCain Oklahoma City Thunder San Antonio Spurs Western Conference finals Game 2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Alex Caruso Luguentz Dort TikTok painted nails midseason trade Philadelphia 76ers meniscus tear left knee thumb surgery NBA Rookie of the Year VJ Edgecombe