Duke Freshman Guard Jared McCain Signs NIL Deal With Sally Hansen

'Everybody should do self-care. For me, it's nail painting. I'm sorry if that offends any of you guys.'

Duke University’s Jared McCain’s fondness for painting his fingernails has earned the guard a NIL (Name, image, likeness) deal with American beauty brand Sally Hansen.

The freshman guard took to his TikTok account to explain why he chose Sally Hansen nail polish. Under the video clip, he uses the hashtag #Sally_HansenPartner, while below the post, it’s displayed as a paid partnership.

“Y’all have been asking. @Sally Hansen is the GOAT 🐐! There’s no better nail polish in the game 💅💅 #SallyHansenPartner”

In the short video, he explains why he started painting his fingernails, stating that it helps him not bite his nails. He also says that after going to a salon, he “thought it looked nice.” He’s been sporting them ever since.

“Everybody should do self-care. For me, it’s nail painting. I’m sorry if that offends any of you guys. My favorite nail polish to use is the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri because it only takes 60 seconds to dry. There’s no crazy reason I (paint my nails). It helps me not bite my nails. I went to a salon one time, picked out a color, and thought it looked nice. Many people disagree and don’t like it, but I’m going to be myself and do what I think looks nice.”

He also claims that wearing the nail polish helps him “play better” basketball, and although he admits he’s not “crazy superstitious,” it has become a part of what he does, and he states that it works.

“I’m not crazy superstitious, but I thought it looked nice. I thought it helped me play better,” he said. “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 ♬ original sound – Jaredmccain24

Although McCain received great news about his latest NIL deal, it was matched with bad news as his team, the Duke Blue Devils, fell to North Carolina State in their latest game in the NCAA March Madness Tournament, 76-64 on Sunday, March 31. According to GoDuke.com, the freshman led all scorers with 32 points, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. Yet, in the last game of his freshman season, he tied the scoring record for the most points scored by a Duke freshman in the NCAA Tournament, tying with former Duke player and current New Orleans power forward Zion Williamson.