Jaylen Brown says he was ‘not surprised’ by Team USA snub, believes Nike influenced decision

LAS VEGAS – Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown said he was “not surprised” by USA Basketball’s decision to add him to the U.S. team in place of Kawhi Leonard ahead of the Paris Olympics, adding that he believes Nike is a major sponsor. USA Basketball – Was involved with him not making the team.

“I sure do,” Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, said when asked Monday night in Las Vegas if he believed the company influenced the decision. “There will be more things to come with that. At present, I will not comment on this.

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Team USA announced last week that Brown’s Celtics teammate Derrick White will replace Leonard, who has been dealing with chronic knee pain and inflammation for months.

Brown previously suggested on X that Nike blocked him from joining the team. Brown is not a Nike-sponsored athlete, while White is.

A message sent to Nike on Monday night was not immediately returned.

Brown — who attended the Celtics Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers with Kyrie Gondrzyk and his former Chicago Sky teammate Angel Reese in Las Vegas on Monday — expressed his support for White.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Brown said of Team USA’s decision. “But my reaction was that I was happy for him. It’s silly to have so many (many) of our people there, so I was happy for those guys. But I am not surprised.”

Brown has been critical of Nike for several years, saying in an X post in November 2022, “Since when did Nike care about ethics?”

That post was in response to a report that Nike co-founder Phil Knight said Kyrie Irving “crossed the line” when Irving shared a link to an anti-Semitic film. Nike canceled Irving’s endorsement deal, even though he had one of the company’s most popular signature shoes.

Brown originally signed with Adidas when he entered the NBA, then he became a sneaker free agent and began wearing different Nike shoes by removing the Swoosh logo.

While Brown’s frustrations appear to be aimed at Team USA and Nike, he did not mention in his earlier posts and interviews that his teammate was the one who received the honor. Brown was asked Monday whether he contacted White because he had not publicly congratulated his teammate.

“I called Derrick right away,” he said. “Just to make sure there is no confusion, my love for you and all that. He knew this. Me and D-White are good.

Brown also said he was focused on the Celtics’ season after falling short of the 2024 NBA Championship, saying, “When that burden goes away, you get more motivation to follow through.”

“For me, it’s back to the first time,” Brown said. “My mentality is that the championship is over now. Now, we have to get back to work.”

U.S. men’s national team managing director Grant Hill previously addressed the decision to add White to the Olympic roster, which also includes Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

Hill said, “One of the many things I really like about Derrick and especially with this team is that I don’t think he’s a better fit for our team than what he did with the Celtics. His role also changes more.” “He plays with two incredibly great young players, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (in Boston). …Having somebody that can come in and compete with guys, complement some other guys, but then stand out and also be a strong defensive player, make shots, it’s just about winning. Makes an impact.

Hill did not specifically explain why White was chosen over Brown at the time, but said, “The responsibility I have is to put together a team and a team that complements each other, a A team that is a good fit to give us the best chance for success.”

“And, so, you know, whatever the theories may be, they are just that,” Hill said.

Brown is a three-time All-Star and was second-team All-NBA in 2023. Both he and White were on the 2019 US World Cup squad.

White is the only Team USA player to never be an All-Star. He averaged 15.2 points and shot nearly 40 percent from 3 for the Celtics, and was named a second-team All-Defense player.

The U.S. men will play Serbia and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday before finishing their pre-Olympic showdown in London. Team USA’s first match at the Paris Olympics is against Serbia on July 28 in Lille, France.

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