Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown said he was “not surprised” by the USA Basketball Association’s decision not to include him in the U.S. roster ahead of the Paris Olympics in place of Kawhi Leonard, adding that he believes Nike – USA Basketball’s main sponsor – was involved in his omission.
“I definitely think so,” Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, said Monday night in Las Vegas when asked if he thought the company influenced the decision. “There will be more things that come with that. Right now, I’m not going to comment on that.”
Jay-Lynn Brown on not making the U.S. team: “I wasn’t surprised, but my reaction was I’m happy for Dee White. It’s great that we have that many players there, so I was happy for those players. But I wasn’t surprised.” pic.twitter.com/UcL9XAhhOr
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) July 16, 2024
The US team announced last week that Brown’s Boston Celtics teammate Derrick White will replace Leonard, who has been suffering from chronic knee pain and inflammation for months.
Brown previously noted on X that Nike blocked him from joining the team. Brown is not a Nike-sponsored athlete, while White is.
A message to Nike on Monday night was not immediately returned.
Brown, who attended the Boston Celtics’ Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers with Kiser Gondrezyk and her former Chicago teammate Sky Angel Reese on Monday in Las Vegas, expressed his support for White.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Brown said of the U.S. decision. “But my reaction was, ‘I’m happy for him.’ It’s great that we have that many of our players there, so I was happy for those guys. But I wasn’t surprised.”
Brown has been critical of Nike for several years, due to X post in November 2022 Who said, “Since when did Nike care about ethics?”
The post was in response to a report that Nike co-founder Phil Knight had said Kyrie Irving had “crossed the line” when Irving shared a link to an anti-Semitic film. Nike ended Irving’s endorsement deal, even though he owned one of the company’s most popular shoes.
Brown initially signed with Adidas when he joined the NBA, then became a free agent for the sneaker brand and began wearing various Nike shoes with the company’s logo removed.
Although Brown’s frustrations appeared to be directed at Team USA and Nike, he has not mentioned in his previous posts and interviews that his teammate was the recipient of the honor. Brown was asked Monday whether he had reached out to White because he had not publicly congratulated his teammate.
“I called Derek right away,” he said. “Just to make sure there was no confusion, and my love for you and all that. He knew that. Dee White and I are on good terms.”
Brown also said he is focused on the Boston Celtics’ upcoming season after the 2024 NBA championship, saying, “When that burden is eased, you get more motivation to pursue it.”
“For me, it’s about getting back to reality,” Brown said. “I think the tournament is over now. Now we have to get back to work.”
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Grant Hill, the managing director of the U.S. men’s national team, had previously addressed the decision to add White to the Olympic roster, which also includes Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
“One of the many things I really like about Derek, especially with this team, is that I don’t feel like his role changes much with our team from what he does with the Celtics,” Hill said. “He plays alongside two incredibly good young players, JayLen Brown and Jayson Tatum (in Boston). … To have someone who can come in and play with guys, be a complement to some of the other guys, but also stand out and be a dynamic defensive player, make shots, it just impacts the win.”
Hill did not specifically say why he chose White over Brown at the time, but said: “The responsibility that I have is to put together a team that complements each other, a team that fits into the team that will give us the best chance to succeed.”
“So, you know, whatever theories there may be, they’re just theories,” Hill said.
Brown was a three-time All-Star and was named to the 2023 All-NBA Second Team. He and White were on the U.S. team at the 2019 World Cup.
White was the only player on Team USA who was not an All-Star. He averaged 15.2 points and made nearly 40 percent of his three-pointers for the Boston Celtics, and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team.
The U.S. men’s team plays Serbia and NBA player Nikola Jokic on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi before wrapping up their campaign in London before playing their first match of the Paris Olympics against Serbia on July 28 in Lille, France.
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