Carmelo Anthony makes feelings known about Jared McCain's obsession with painting nails 

NBA legend Carmelo Anthony weighed in on Philadelphia 76ers rookie guard Jared McCain's controversial habit of painting his nails before games. The 10-time All-Star defended McCain, referencing the "next generation" of NBA hoopers.

McCain has been wearing nail polish since the COVID-19 quarantine. However, he garnered national media attention for his unconventional practice during his freshman season at Duke University (2023-24).

The sharpshooter faced fan backlash from those who took exception to a male athlete painting his nails. Nevertheless, he continued embracing his passion, emphasizing his desire to be himself.

"I'm always just gonna be myself, and as for the painted nails, I saw it during quarantine, and I just started doing it. I never saw anything wrong with it," McCain told Complex in October 2023.

"... I take care of my body. Some of these people hate; I don't know if they do take care of their bodies. ... So, doing the painted nails is kind of a part of me now. I just kind of do it whether I get to hate or not."

McCain, who has amassed 4.3 million TikTok followers by making videos primarily centered on dances and viral trends, has shared numerous clips about nail painting. He even received an NIL deal with the beauty and nail polish brand Sally Hansen at Duke.

Drafted No. 16 by Philly in the 2024 NBA draft, Jared McCain's nail-painting habit has carried over into the NBA. His standout play has to, as he leads all rookies in scoring (16.5 points per game through 20 outings) and is favored to win Rookie of the Year.

In an interview with Complex published Wednesday, Anthony was asked about McCain painting his nails and thriving despite his detractors. The 2013 NBA scoring champion noted the differences between his generation and the current generation of players. He then highlighted the importance of respecting the league's next era.

"That's the generation now. We've got to fall back. It ain't our time no more, man," Anthony said. "This is a young man's sport. This this ain't our time. We can't keep laying down the iron fist when we only don't agree with something.

"Let them boys be themselves, man. Let them do what they do and have their fun. They do it differently than we did it. We can't be mad at that. That's two totally different generations. If you've got to keep painting them fingernails, man, he's still hooping."

---

---

Carmelo Anthony on what motivates next-generation players like Jared McCain to be themselves

After touching on Jared McCain's nail polish routine, Carmelo Anthony was asked what "pushes" the new generation of stars to "be themselves."

He pointed to modern players' indifference toward their naysayers.

"I feel like they don't care; that's what it is. It's a difference," Anthony said. "They don't care. They are fearless, you know what I mean? And they don't care what nobody says. We still were standing on something, and we still had a foundation. They are taking our foundation and just recreating what they want to recreate."

Thus, Anthony appears to be fully supportive of McCain and other young hoopers who want to express themselves in unorthodox ways.

---