It took all of one game for Oklahoma City Thunder fans to embrace Jared McCain.
The Thunder made one of the most intriguing trade deadline acquisitions when it landed McCain in a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. The trade was one of those under-the-radar moves that could very well impact the title race come playoff time.
Thunder fans present for McCain’s debut felt that way. The OKC crowd gave McCain a standing ovation as he checked into the team’s game Saturday against the Houston Rockets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Jared McCain gets a huge ovation from the OKC crowd 👏
— ESPN (@espn) February 7, 2026
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McCain couldn’t help but marvel at the Thunder faithful’s reaction to him playing his first Thunder minutes.
“It was amazing,” McCain said when asked about the OKC crowd. “I felt the love right when I entered the game. … It was nuts. Nothing like it.”
The Duke alum didn’t have a huge game based on the box score. He tallied 5 points on 2/6 shooting along with 2 rebounds, an assist, and a pair of turnovers in the Thunder’s 112-106 loss. He did finish with a +12 in his 14 minutes on the floor, which ranked second-best on a team missing MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
McCain looked like one of the best rookies last season, averaging 15.3 points in his first 23 games with the 76ers. But his opportunities dried up this year with the emergence of the Tyrese Maxey-VJ Edgecombe backcourt in Philly.
