Duke freshman Jared McCain usually stands out for his play, such as his 30-point performance against James Madison last weekend. However, the first-year guard also can be easily pointed out for his colorful hands.
McCain sports painted nails at every Duke game, usually rotating between Duke’s colors of blue and white in a different pattern.
On Thursday afternoon, the star Blue Devil shared a new NIL deal with nail polish company Sally Hansen on TikTok. In the minute-long video, McCain took the time to explain to his two million followers why he paints his nails.
“There’s really no crazy reason to it,” McCain said. “It helps me not bite my nails.”
The freshman said he just liked how it looked, but he did confess there was a larger reason for it soon after.
“One of the reasons I kept painting my nails is I had a game after I painted my nails and I ended up playing really well,” McCain said. “You know, I’m not crazy superstitious but if I thought it looked nice and I thought it helped me play better? And so far, it’s worked.”
@jaredmccain24 Y’all have been asking. @Sally Hansen is the GOAT 🐐! There’s no better nail polish in the game 💅💅 #SallyHansenPartner
McCain addressed that some fans and comments belittle the idea of a man painting his nails, but he seemed at peace with the idea.
“Sorry if that offends any of you guys,” McCain said early on. “I know a lot of people disagree, a lot of people don’t like it, but I’m just going to be myself and do what I think looks nice.”