Philadelphia 76ers Officially Sign Jared McCain To Rookie Contract

The Philadelphia 76ers officially signed first-round pick Jared McCain Thursday to a rookie-scale deal, the exact details of which have not been disclosed. McCain is scheduled to appear in two summer leagues later this month.

The 76ers selected McCain with the 16th overall pick last month, meaning that he is in line to sign a four-year rookie contract worth approximately $19 million. The guard out of Duke has gained immense popularity for his social media presence.

In addition to being named a McDonald’s All-American in high school and earning ACC All-Rookie honors in his only season at Duke, McCain might be even more well known for his dances and singing on TikTok. This level of exposure entering the NBA could earn him unwanted attention, but McCain claims to be aware of the challenges ahead.

“Even since high school, I’ve had the social media,” McCain said earlier this week, according to USA Today. “I’ve gotten hate since high school. I’ve painted my nails since high school. So I understand. The TikToks are always going to come into play after one bad game. I understand it.”

At age 19, McCain is unlikely to make an immediate impact for the 76ers, but his teammate, recent 76ers signee Paul George, said on his podcast this week that he approves of the rookie’s preparedness entering the league.

“Personality stands out more than anything,” George said. “He’s got a personality that, like, ‘I’m me. Ima do me. I’m me.’ The fact that he don’t give a (expletive) that he paints his nails and what people say about that and he can still be himself and go hoop? You can call him anything at that point!”

At Duke, McCain scored 14.3 points per game and quickly became a leader on a young Blue Devils team. Duke advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament but lost to NC State.

Article by Patrick Moquin