Is the NBA Player Jared McCain Gay?

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Get the insider info on this Sixers basketball player’s sexuality

Co-authored by Mira Lazine and Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: August 29, 2025 Fact Checked

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Is Jared McCain gay?

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Rumors Explained

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Confirmed Gay Basketball Players

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NBA fans have been buzzing about Jared McCain, the Philadelphia 76ers player who paints his nails. Is he gay, or just particularly confident and stylish? Looks like the answer leans more toward the latter, but we’ll fill you in on the rumors and what we know, plus some confirmed gay NBA players.

Jared McCain Gay Rumors

Jared McCain has not confirmed or clarified his sexuality, but in 2024 he was revealed to be dating a woman. Fans speculated he may be gay because he paints his nails, apparently to stop himself from biting them, but just because a man paints his nails does not mean he’s gay.

Section 1 of 3:

Is Jared McCain gay?

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Jared McCain has not specified his sexuality. While rumors abound on and off the court (and pretty much everywhere online), the NBA player has not clarified his sexuality, so there’s really no way to say for sure. That’s up to him to specify if and when he wants to, and in the meantime, it’s not really any of our business. ^{[1]
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- That said, in 2024, fans learned that McCain was dating a woman, TikToker Sydney Williams. It's still possible he's not totally straight, but again, we don’t know for sure, and it’s not our business.

Section 2 of 3:

Why do people think Jared McCain is gay?

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The rumors began when fans noticed his painted nails in 2024. McCain turned heads on the court with his flashy painted nails, often done in an electric blue color to match his Duke jersey. He also posted a TikTok explaining that painting his nails helps him to stop biting them, and because he thinks it looks nice.^{[2]
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- Of course, just because a guy paints his nails doesn’t mean he’s gay. And if he is, that still shouldn’t be a problem.
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Things escalated when NFL player Antonio Brown called McCain a slur. During the 2024 NBA draft, Brown posted a homophobic slur directed at McCain, likely because of McCain’s painted nails. Thankfully, the post was met with backlash from the online public, with many users coming to McCain’s defense. But Brown is a known pot-stirrer, so as rude as the comment was, it’s not really worth our attention.^{[3]
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Section 3 of 3:

Confirmed Gay Basketball Players

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Publicly out NBA players are few, but some do exist. That comes with the big caveat that there are almost none currently playing, which isn’t to say there aren’t any currently-active gay NBA players, just that they’re not out and we don’t know who they are. Here are some notable gay players from the past:^{[4]
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- Jason Collins, who came out on the cover of a 2013 Sports Illustrated issue.
- Derrick Gordon, who came out while playing for UMass, then signed to play in Cyprus and Germany.
- Marco Lehmann, a Swiss player who plays international 3-on-3s
- Daniel Arcos, a Chilean player.
- Isaac Humphries, an Australian player who played for the Atlanta Hawks.