One-on-One with Draft Picks Jared McCain and Adem Bona

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Jared McCain, Welcome to Philadelphia.

Thanks you.

Something that I was excited to learn about you is that you're a journaler, right every day since high.

School, Yes, since probably fresh sophomore year of high school.

COVID and those of us who journal know that one of the benefits is you can crystallize your memories. Right, You've had a lot of memories to build in the last few days. What memories are you crystallizing from draft night?

Really, it's like the very specific moments, like whether it's hugging my family, hugging my brother, trying not to chrip on stage, like very some putting on the hat, going backstage after the draft just to hug my family again, my friends.

Very specific moments I like the journal about and kind of visualize.

And you come almost straight to Philadelphia, which is a city you said you haven't spent much time in.

So what are your first memories of Philly going to be?

I guess now it's trying a Philly cheese steak, very good.

Okay, what'd you get on it?

It was lettuce, tomato, and onions. Okay, so I had a little bit of everything on it.

No, she's.

Yeah, I think that's part of the main memory I have right now. But going on over the bridge, New Jersey to to Philly. Yeah, we'll see what memories we get to make out here. Though.

To bring a TikTok term to this more formal environment. You're someone with a ton of aura, right, And for those that don't know.

Aura, I appreciate that where.

Confidence meets individualism and you have a ton of it. How would you describe in your own words the Jared McCain aura.

I think it's just a positive vibe who tries this half foward life.

And yeah, I think it's pretty much it just positive vibes. That's what I try to bring everywhere.

And that's a persona that's very clear in your online presence. How would you describe how that persona might differ from your basketball persona, which I know you've been very intentional about keeping basketball sort of.

The main thing and the Internet is secondary.

What's it like to live those sort of like it's like a hand of Montana thing, Like the two different lives.

Yeah, I get a lot of the Detroit Bolton comparisons, Corbin Blue comparisons.

That's my player comp right now.

Well, yeah, it's kind of cool to have two different lives almost obviously the social media and the basketball, but a lot of stuff I do is almost combined with it. I try to have fun. That's literally the main thing I do with life. I talk to God about it a lot every day, and I kind of bring that onto the court. I'm just having fun and I'm out there doing what I love since I was four years old.

You called yourself the hardest worker in the draft, Tyrese MAXI fancies himself the hardest worker in the league. What are you looking forward to in terms of learning from him? He's not a young guy anymore, He's a VET. He's an all star. People have compared you, guys for maybe what you lack in size you make up for and skill and didn't work.

What do you think you can learn from him?

Everything?

I mean, curiosity is something I'm trying to be big on, especially coming to the NBA, not trying to big time anything, and so just asking him his how it transition went. Obviously he was one and done, and just trying to ask him how he fit into the NBA. What were some things he learned quickly that made him so successful? But yeah, obviously working out with him, the work ethic, just learning everything I can from him.

Are you guys going to compete over who can work harder?

I think so.

I think that's a great competition.

Speaking of work, Speaking of teammates, we got to talk about Joel Embiid, who has a sort of illustrious history of working well with guards with shooters. Two man game, a duke shooter that was here a few years ago. They thrived together, right, two duke shooters. Actually, if you want to talk about JJ and stuff.

Yeah, I think I said I forgot about J.

That's how long I've been here. Talk about illustrious career. Yeah.

Yeah.

When you think about becoming perhaps the next duke shooter to have good on court chemistry with Joel Embiid, what are the thoughts that go through your head?

Everything, and that I can space four with him. I've seen one of the best players in the world, so again learning from him, ask him how to play off of him, and uh yeah, I think he'll be a fun, fun person to know.

We've mentioned Duke a couple of times. Your experience there.

I watched an interview where I think you were talking about the idea that being in that environment set you up well to handle haters right, to handle criticism. Perhaps Philly fans are going to hold you really accountable. Have you thought about the parallel sort of between Philadelphia fans and that experience, I.

Do for sure they're their ride or die with their team. Even since high school.

You know, I've had the social media, I've I've gotten hate since high school. I've painted my nails since high school. So I understand the tiktoks always are going to come into play. After one bad game. I understand it. We're going to do.

What are they going to say?

You already know, Yeah, it's gonna be like it's gonna I've been on Twitter. It's gonna be like Joel Embiid says Jared we need to make a three, and it's like Jared McCain, and then it's gonna be one of my tiktoks. I already know you know what it's gonna be. But Duke, I think going to Duke set me up for that. I already know what's gonna come with it, and I'm prepared.

For it, and I just embrace it.

I try to just work as hard as I can and improve everyone that I can.

I belong here.

You've been journaling since high school, You've been pinting your nails since high school. Why is this individualism that you really really sort of lead the charge in so important to you?

I think because just being myself my parents have instilled in me to just be myself as I as a kid, and whether they supported the.

Painting nails or the tiktoks or anything like that, they're always gonna just love me no matter what.

And I think having that confidence along with them has biled me to the person I am today, Like, I'm not going to stop. I've gotten here being myself and I won't stop now for anybody in the comments telling me to not pay my nails or something.

And you're going to inspire a lot of young kids, by the way, that might be dealing with similar things and trying to grow into themselves. What's your message to young kids that might want to walk on perhaps not the beaten path.

Or beat themselves like you. What do you hope that they can learn from you?

Find whatever you love, find whatever makes you happy, and just continue it. It doesn't matter if somebody doesn't like it or doesn't agree with you. If you like to pay your nails, pay your nails, if you don't, you don't you like journaling, you like meditation, Just find whatever.

You love, continue to do it, and reach your goals.

I think always trying to dream chase is something have been big on my whole life.

You mentioned your parents, You've mentioned your brother a lot throughout this draft process. What little pieces of each of them are you going to take with you into this next phase.

My brother's big on gratitude as well, and just staying present like this, a lot of stuff gets thrown at you in the NBA. It's very quick, so you have to just embrace every moment and try to take it in and learn as much as possible. I mean, these are the best players in the world and I'm a rookie coming in and.

I'm trying to be one of those.

So I'm just gonna ask them as many questions and have them as a backbone for anything I need.

What about mom and dad?

You mentioned brother, but maybe specific things you might take from Mom, who I saw here today and she seems just Yeah, I.

Think my mom.

It's very easy with my mom. It's just the positive attitude like she just she has. She's a bubble of life wherever she goes. So I think I'm just trying to bring that wherever I go. And then my dad, you know, he's he put the basketball in my hand, so I think with him, it's more keep the main thing the main thing like love what.

You do and then work hard at it and continue to reach your goal. So I got a good balance of both.

So I don't usually lead with this, but I also want to do what's your cookout order?

Oh?

What time of day is this?

Well, if you're eating there in the morning, I have a questions.

You want a little treat, I'm getting the bacon cheeseburger tray with double Cajun fries and the peanut.

Butter peanut butter. Yeah, you're not throwing a.

Chocolate I think it would be. But it's peanut butter chocolate.

Okay, don't knock it till you try it, Blueberry Oreo cheesecake.

We'll be back in North Carolina a couple of months, you can.

Jared McCain, thank you so much. It was a pleasure to see you. And Philly is very excited.

I'm very excited to.

M Adan Bona. Welcome to Philadelphia.

Appreciate.

What's it like to be you today.

Like a lot of feelings going through my body, you know, like stepping.

Into the arena right now, feeling like yes, I'm an NBA player, Yes I'm a Philadelphia and sissy.

You know, it's truly amazing. I can't wait to get tired.

Draft night, you got emotional on stage, you got emotional. I understand seeing your jersey for the first time as well. How do you describe the feeling of becoming an NBA player in these last forty eight hours?

We we've always dreamt about this moment, you know, for the past I'll save my whole life wanting to be a well worked for this for times like this.

So when we get you, I just can't help to be emotional.

You know, seeing my name on the back of an NBA jersey brought out all the emotions of me. I didn't want to cry today, but seeing my name be at an NBA jersey brought every single emotions.

It means you care.

It's beautiful.

So take us back to why this moment is so meaningful for you.

You found basketball at the age thirteen? Is that right? How did you find it?

It's funny basketball found me because I was having my regular day and a random dude reached out to me, like, yo, do you play basketball? And I was like, no, I played soccer, and he was he was like really, like I really want to talk to your mom, and and.

I was like, fine, you can forllow me to my mom's store. My mom store was down the street.

He walked all the way to my momster with me and he told my mom, I want to train your son in basketball. And my mom was like, I don't know, I'm not I'm not willing to pay you to train my son. And me was like, I promise you, your son is going to be great. Gave him a couple of years in basketball. Your son's going to do great things. And my mom was like, nah, I don't think I'm going to pay you. So my mom turned him down.

So basketball finds you.

And then shortly thereafter you moved to Turkey to start playing.

What was that transition?

Like, I think, I think that's a really good portion of my life because moving from Nanji to Turkey was it was a new and completed, brand new experience for me, moving to a country where I didn't know how to speak their language't I didn't know the culture, the food, their way, of life, which was a brand new I feel like it's a brand new world I was working into. But I see that as a as a blessing because I got there, I learned, I learned how to speaking

I see that's a blessing.

So you're already playing professional before you came over to the States to do a little bit of high school.

So what was that transition then?

Like for you, it was an amazing tradition because I was really young at the age of sixteen, I was I was practiced with grown men.

You know.

The physicality was completely different, a way stronger than maybigger than me.

But I had the will, I had the passion. I wanted to be there.

I loved every single momental day of it, and I came to to high school and it was a complete different game where the basketball played in Europe is completely different from the basketball player in high school.

The speed, the temple, the physicality, and not see the mindset. This was complete.

So it's like, I also see had a blessing because I get I had the opportunity to do well end different style of basketball in two different ways and to the first settings and then that kind of set me up for good.

How did you choose U c l A after that?

Every time?

So when I asked me that, I say the question should be white, not U c l A, because like, who is gonna sound that U c l A, you know, but most importantly you say that, I felt like, what's the perfect hit for me? Going there and being a star as the freshman was. I think that was a really big step for me. Obviously, I have an African mom.

But for me basketball wise, I think it's an amazing fit.

They have amazing culture, eleven championship, they have a bunch of legends.

We can talk, we can go.

And we have Rico Hinds, Yeah, who is one of one of an egg brewing alone, brewing alone. It's also amazing to be in building with another blowing alumni.

So it's amazing. Like the questions why not you seal he shouldn't be you know, I was.

About to ask you about that continuity with Ricol Hines, who's now an assistant coach, and I understand you have a bit of a relationship with him already. What was his reaction to to your coming to the seventy six ers.

It was I walked in the building, I saw him from distance from the glasses, and he was already smiling. I was like, yes, we in you know brewings. I feel like the Bruins connection is always there. Woke on the carts and we were already chanted the DS club. You know that that's really amazing to be able to meet someone from from the same unity, the same fatality. You know, it just make me feel welcome, you know, make me feel like home already.

Head coach, Nick Nurse, you're wearing the expect to win bracelet, which I understand you put on as soon as you came in the building. That's a slogan for those that aren't aware that he brought to his time in Birmingham, England in the BBL, playing over or coaching rather in Europe. Brought it then to Toronto, where he's asking everybody to expect to win, no matter what the characteristics of any.

Given day or any given game is.

He believes that any group can go out there and expect to win.

What do those words mean to you?

It means a lot to me.

You know.

I came from a program where winning is an expectation.

Also playing for UCLA with is sucial history, like every game we expect to win, but also onting about me.

Things that means a lot to me.

I wear them around my wrist, are working already, have my own risband that says power and the other one says strength. And I saw I saw a ristband when I walked into the building that says expected to win. Actually, my hostmom grabby because she knows how I like my ristbands and like I like wearing want my my wrist that means something to me, and she gave it to me and I saw and I said, I expect to win. I was like, amazing, and I put it on because I strive to win everything I do off because on

You know, the left hand is power, power and strength. You bring that to right hand expect to win. Why did you choose power and strength as those two values that are some point?

I think these those are the things that keep that keeps me going.

The power streps has like a couple of Babu vasony and actually lest I when these during my pre draft, when I started my pre draft, I had I had couple with that ripped during the pre draft, and I keep start filling them up.

But I think my power it's it's actually my name.

My traditional name Njiam is God's power, which I think power is in my name. And I think my family we all believe in the bigger power.

Both so I have power, I have strengths.

I believe my strengths come from selwhere So those are the two words that take it key to me.

You've had so many experiences at such a young age, so many cultures, multiple families. What are you bringing along from each of those experiences, from Nigeria to Turkey, to California to u c LA. What do you bring with you from each of those experiences and those people now into your professional career.

I think that brings me my love diversity. It just shows our we're able to connect with any group of people. It shows that I've been I've been to I've been different group of people. I've seen so many different cultures. I've seen so many dif first traditions, and I feel like I can bring my tradition to contribute to improve other traditions, to help AUDO.

Traditions get better.

And I feel like with my experience, I feel like I can connect with anyone in the world. And I think that's also going to help in the chema chemistry bonding with the time.

I think that's going to help me a long way.

And also it's going to help me to be able to connect with my tim It's easily well.

We've already done a great job connecting on day one. It's been a pleasure to connect with you. Welcome, congratulations and thank you again.

Thank you very much, appreciate you, thanks for having me