Jaylen Brown had spent the last 48 hours voicing his disappointment in USA Basketball not giving the Boston Celtics’ star guard a phone call after Kawhi Leonard withdrew from the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Brown challenged Nike and published other cryptic messages on social media after Celtics teammate Derrick White got the nod instead to join Team USA’s star-studded roster which welcomed Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday with open arms. However, when Brown accepted an invite to the ESPYs on Thursday, the 27-year-old refused to further comment.
“I don’t really got no comment, you known what I mean,” Brown told Cam Newton on the red carpet. “I got my beautiful date (Kysre Gondrezick) right there.”
The decision to go with White instead of Brown, a three-time All-Star fresh off being named the Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals MVP, was highly questionable. On one hand, White is a legitimate role-player starter and one of the most effective two-way guards in the league. But on the other hand, that’s not what the Olympic team consists of.
Traditionally, when USA Basketball finalizes its roster, the names are household studs and the locker room is treated like an All-Star Game. When it came to adding Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker or Kevin Durant to join LeBron James, roles weren’t considered. That’s not a requirement, making Brown’s rejection stunning.
Yet, despite the bad news, Brown still enjoyed a night at the ESPYs and didn’t go home empty-handed after winning an award for the Best Championship Performance. Brown scored 21 points with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals in Boston’s title-clinching Game 5 win over the Dallas Mavericks to finish off the finals.
“Thank you to my teammates, my organization, my beautiful mother, who’s mad at me,” Brown said during his acceptance speech on stage.
Tatum, Holiday and White will next face Australia on Monday in Abu Dhabi.
