What Exactly Is the Jared McCain TikTok Dance? It's a Spin on Another Viral Dance

Pro basketball player Jared McCain is absolutely crushing it on TikTok, showing off his influencer skills and racking up a massive following — over 4 million fans and counting! And just in case you forgot, he's also an NBA guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. Talk about a slam dunk both on and off the court!

While it's not uncommon for Jared to grab attention on TikTok with his smooth moves, there's one dance in particular that’s got everyone talking. In fact, even Jayden Daniels and AJ Brown couldn’t resist getting in on the fun.

It's called the Jared McCain TikTok dance, though, to be fair, he’s not the original creator of the viral routine. But we’ve done some digging and uncovered where his spin-off actually comes from. Here's the inside scoop!

The viral Jared McCain TikTok dance originated from a post on Nov. 17, 2024, shared by Jared himself. In the video, he’s doing what he does best — dancing — set to the Jersey club remix of "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

While the dance is undeniably catchy, it's Jared's unique spin on the moves that really caught attention. Instead of shimmying his hips side to side with his hands bumping each side like others do to the remix of "Maps," Jared slows down the shimmy and adds a foot tap simultaneously. Take a look at it in motion below followed by another viral TikTok of the original trend.

Jared's dance to "Maps" has racked up nearly 8 million views on TikTok, over 800,000 likes, and a jaw-dropping 28,000 shares (as of this writing). Needless to say, folks are totally obsessed with the Jared McCain TikTok dance.

The attention was so overwhelming that even Jared's college basketball team, the Duke Blue Devils, couldn't resist commenting, writing, "We miss you," under the Duke Basketball official TikTok page. Oh, and let's not forget the beloved shoe brand UGG, which also joined the conversation, commenting, "Still waiting."

Jared's new dance came just days before he and Tyrese Maxey helped the 76ers break their five-game losing streak, leading the team to a 113-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 22. The 76ers celebrated Jared's major win, as he scored 30 points during the game, according to ESPN. Naturally, after a contribution like that, fans took to the comment section to call out Jared's accomplishment, writing, "Man dropping 30 and hitting TikTok dances."

Although Jayden took the traditional route and followed the original dance to the remix of "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, people were still surprised to see him on the field dancing, period. NFL on Fox shared a clip of Jayden, but TikToker @cheddarlatethannever commented, "Saquon Barkley did it better."

Unlike some TikTok dances that have emerged and subsequently gone viral (but shouldn’t have), there's something about this song and dance that brings a positive vibe — and we're here for it.