Jaylen Brown seemingly is confused about why he won’t be competing for an Olympic gold medal later this month.
Brown was among the 28-player pool Team USA used to determine its personnel for the Paris games, but the three-time All-Star ultimately did not crack the 12-man roster. A window for Brown to gain Olympian status opened Wednesday when Kawhi Leonard withdrew from action, but his spot was quickly backfilled by Derrick White.
Shortly after Team USA made the swap, Brown took to X and shared three magnifying glass emojis, perhaps stating confusion about why he didn’t make the team.
Brown had built a strong case for himself even before the Celtics’ 2024 playoff run. But after winning Eastern Conference finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP en route to Boston’s championship, the 27-year-old might have felt he was among the most deserving to represent the United States in the Olympics this summer.
That said, the snub could be beneficial to both Brown and the Celtics. The star wing now will have more time to maintain his body after a very long season, and being left off the Team USA roster could be precisely the motivation Brown needs after reaching basketball’s mountaintop.
As for Brown’s Paris-bound teammates, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and company will play their first exhibition game Wednesday night against Team Canada.
