Jared McCain has won over college basketball fans with his big smile and outgoing vibe. And his game? It’s pretty solid too. With a smooth jumper and some unselfish playmaking skills, the Sacramento native was ranked 11th in the class of 2023. He was the top recruit in Duke’s class last year. But there’s another unexplored side of his story.

Recently, Jared McCain appeared on the Podcast with P with Paul George to discuss his mental health battle during his time at Duke and how NBA teams made him relive trauma. “I got a psychologist going in to Duke,” Jared said. The duke star explained that he started seeing a sports psychologist when he went to Duke because he knew things would get intense. He was aware that Duke would have many fans but also plenty of critics, so he was prepared for that.

Even though people have been making fun of him, McCain says it’s just his personality. “I have been like this since I was a kid, like I have always liked the dancing. I used to sing, like in front of everybody.” McCain said. He also shared that he still sings sometimes, giving a shout-out to Drake, whom he regards as the greatest of all time (GOAT) in music.

When asked how often McCain’s social media came up in draft interviews, he said it was a frequent topic. However, he was surprised that nobody asked about his nails. They mostly wanted to know about his social media and other things. McCain also talked about one question he thought was wild. The GM asked him if he liked yoga, and he said yeah. Then the GM hit him with, “How would you feel if you walked in and all the moms were there?”

McCain’s personality has also brought him some hate on social media. People often criticize him for painting his nails or spending too much time on TikTok, leading to plenty of negative comments.

Recently, NC State’s DJ Burns took a shot at McCain after his team beat Duke in the Elite Eight. Burns dropped a video on Instagram of his teammate DJ Horne sinking a three-pointer after totally faking out McCain. Despite the trash talk, McCain delivered an impressive performance with over 25 points, but his team still couldn’t secure the win.

Despite all the ridicule and clowning from players and fans over the years, McCain keeps doing his thing like nothing ever happened. However, the star has been battling mental health struggles through it all. What are your thoughts on him?