A Sixers player finally made the NBA Finals… Kind Of

Well, folks. It finally happened. A Sixers player made it to the NBA Finals. No, Joel Embiid didn’t magically swap knee’s with Saquon Barkley. Tyrese Maxey didn’t become the best foul baiter in the league overnight. But hey — Jared McCain will be on the court for Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals… as a media correspondent.

Let’s all give a slow, sarcastic round of applause for the NBA Player Correspondent Program.

Jared McCain leads the Sixers to the NBA Finals

Introducing the NBA Player Correspondents for the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV 🎙️

Jared McCain (Game 1), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Game 2), Dyson Daniels (Game 3), and Matas Buzelis (Game 4) will be on the ground giving inside access from Oklahoma City and Indiana, beginning… pic.twitter.com/caDpRWj6iK

— NBA (@NBA) June 3, 2025

What Even Is This Program?

If you’re sitting there wondering what the hell the NBA Player Correspondent Program is, you’re not alone. Basically, the league gives a few young guys some microphones and sends them to major events like the NBA Draft, All-Star Weekend, and the Finals to “provide inside access” across NBA social and digital platforms.

You know, real hard-hitting journalism like “What’s in your Finals fit?” and “Who’s your barber?”

This year’s Finals correspondents are:

• Jared McCain (Game 1 – Sixers)
• Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Game 2 – Heat)
• Dyson Daniels (Game 3 – Hawks)
• Matas Buzelis (Game 4 – Bulls)

You could argue this is the most national spotlight a Sixers player has gotten since Joel Embiid won the MVP award a few years ago.

And I must admit as someone who wasn’t particularily high on Jared McCain coming out of the NBA Draft, he more than proved me wrong in his rookie season. And obviously players should have the freedom’s to pursue aspirations outside of basketball, I just certainly hope it doesn’t have the negative effect on McCain like it has on Paul George or “Podcast P”.

On the bright side, McCain came into the league with a large TikTok following, and more than proved he could juggle that as well as light the league up in his rookie year. Let’s all just hope he can come into this season fully healthy and healed from his meniscus injury. Sound familiar?

Ah what the hell. It’s still Trust The Process.

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