The NBA world was perplexed when Jaylen Brown was not chosen as an alternate for Team USA, and the Boston Celtics star called out what he thinks motivated the decision.
Derrick White on Wednesday was chosen to replace Kawhi Leonard for the United States Olympic roster. The roster move meant three Celtics players would be on Team USA, but the choice of White over Brown seemed odd.
USA basketball managing director Grant Hill didn’t give a clear answer about Brown’s omission, but he did reject the theory about the 27-year-old’s history with Nike playing a role. The 2024 Finals MVP seemed to disagree.
“@nike this what we doing?” Brown posted on X on Thursday.
Brown in 2022 publicly criticized Nike for handling Kyrie Irving’s controversial sharing of an antisemitic film. The Celtics star also endorsed Irving’s jabs at Nike, and Brown himself has worn shoes that have taken shots at the shoe and apparel brand.
Nike has deep ties as the main sponsor of USA basketball. It’s been documented that non-Nike athletes’ shoes get digitally removed or physically hidden in official team photos. The majority of players on Team USA, except Stephen Curry (Under Armour), are Nike athletes, so it’s why fans believe players like Brown and Irving are excluded from the process due to their non-affiliation with the brand.
The one benefit for Celtics fans is that Brown likely will head into next season even more motivated when Boston plays against players from the Team USA roster.
