PHILADELPHIA — Ahead of the Sixers‘ Tuesday night matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, a familiar face rejoined the team. As he continues to recover from a meniscus repair surgery on his left knee, rookie Jared McCain returned to the Center and addressed the media for the first time since his injury on Dec. 13.
Earlier in the day, McCain was named to the NBA’s 2025 Rising Stars team. Despite his season-ending after only playing 23 games, the electric rookie’s impact was so prevalent that his performance, limited though it was, deserved recognition. McCain was asked about how he had found out about the news and his initial reaction.
“My agent had texted me,” McCain said. “He texted me the picture of the names, and I was just like, I mean, it’s always been one of my goals to be in that game and I didn’t know if I was eligible or not to even be in it, but it’s really cool.”
McCain also discussed his current road back from injury, particularly the mental aspect of the recovery and being away from both the team and the game.
“I knew right away that the mental side was going to be probably the hardest part of it. So, I definitely took some time away. Like, you said, it was hard to watch it a little bit. You get frustrated sometimes, like, Why me? Or why did this happen? But, you know, talking to my family, people around me, I just know it’s part of my process, and I know I’m going to come back even better. It’s all a part of the plan, and I’m excited I get to learn new things. I get to watch it from a different perspective, and just trying to find the good in every situation.”
As for where he is in the physical aspect of his recovery, McCain gave an update as well.
“Just kind of regaining balance, walking on the treadmill with the zero gravity thing. Just kind of learning my body again, learning how to walk regular again. So just taking it super slow, definitely don’t want anything to happen, and knowing it’s going to be a full recovery, and just keeping that in mind.”
Without basketball, it’s easy to imagine someone like McCain, who has made the sport such a large part of his life, feeling a void of sorts. However, the rookie is doing well to make the most of his newly found time, not only filling his ours with enjoyable activities, but productive ones.
“After surgery, when I started feeling better, I wanted to figure out something to do, like a new hobby, something. And so right now, I’m learning Spanish on Duolingo, and I’m learning the piano. I’ve taken some piano classes, but now my morning routine is a time to relax. I do my journal. I now meditate for longer. I visualize for longer, visualizing a healthy knee. I made a new goal board, and then I usually go into my reading, and then my Spanish, and then I have in my night routine.”
“I love having these little habits and building my routine. Now I think it’s gonna help me in the long run, and I know it will help me in the long run.”
Meniscus issues are not unique to the Sixers. Joel Embiid has torn his meniscus multiple times during his career in Philadelphia. When asked if the Sixers’ star has spoken to him about his injury and recovery, McCain had much to say of Embiid, and many others from the Sixers’ organization who have reached out.
“Yeah, [Joel Embiid] FaceTimed me after it happened, and it was just really cool. He wanted to just know what I was doing, what really had happened, and just told me how to get through it and just helped me with that. So it was really cool to hear from him and the rest of my team as well.”
“Everybody, I mean, from support staff to teammates, coaches, like, they’ve all reached out just checked on me if I was good, and it’s been really cool to feel the love that the city and my teammates and family, everyone around me has shown me.”
McCain has been ruled out for the rest of the season but is expected to begin rejoining the team in a greater capacity in the coming weeks. As far as his comeback, it will have to wait until next season, but for now, McCain is focused on preparing his mind and body as best he can.
