Duke basketball star Jared McCain hits back at nail polish critics and insists March Madness backlash won’t stop being himself… as he insists ‘everybody should do some self-care!’

Just before putting up a strong performance in the Elite Eight, Duke basketball star Jared McCain inked himself a deal with a nail polish company.

McCain, who signed an NIL agreement with Sally Hansen, has been appearing on the floor for the Blue Devils with nails painted all season long.

In a video posted to TikTok on Friday, McCain went through his routine – showing fans as he painted the nails on his left hand blue for his school as he prepared for his Sweet 16 matchup against Houston.

McCain said that painting his nails is a way for him to have some ‘self-care time, I think everyone should do some self-care for themselves’.

‘For me, that’s nail painting. Sorry if that offends any of you guys.’

He then explained why he started painting his nails and how it brings him joy. 

‘There’s really no crazy reason to it – it helps me not bite my nails. I went into a salon one time and I decided to pick out a color, and I thought it looked nice.

‘I know a lot of people disagree – a lot of people don’t like it. But I’m just gonna be myself and do what I think looks nice.

‘One of the reasons why I kept painting my nails is I had a game after I painted my nails and I ended up playing really well. I’m not crazy superstitious, but I thought it looked nice – thought it would help me play better. 

‘So far, it’s worked so I’m just gonna keep doing it, I guess.’

In a very defensive Sweet 16 game, the Blue Devils shocked the Houston Cougars 54-51 to move on to the Elite Eight for the 24th time.

McCain dropped seven points on a 3-for-6 shooting line with six rebounds and four assists to boot.

Now, they’ll play rivals North Carolina State on Sunday – a team they lost to in the opening round of the ACC Tournament, but beat earlier in the season – for the chance to reach the Final Four.