Jaylen Brown says he wasn’t surprised by Team USA’s rejection, believes Nike influenced his decision

LAS VEGAS — Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown said he was “not surprised” by USA Basketball’s decision not to add him to Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics in place of Kawhi Leonard, adding that he believes Nike — a key USA Basketball sponsor — was involved in his not making the team.

“I think so, for sure,” Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, said Monday night in Las Vegas when asked if he thought the company influenced the decision. “There’s going to be more to come with that. Right now, I’m not going to comment on that.”

Jaylen Brown on not making Team USA: “I wasn’t surprised, but I was happy for D White. It’s great to have so many of our guys there, so I was happy for them. But I wasn’t surprised.” pic.twitter.com/UcL9XAhhOr

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) July 16, 2024

Team USA announced last week that Brown’s Celtics teammate Derrick White would replace Leonard, who has suffered from chronic knee pain and inflammation for months.

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

A message to Nike Monday evening did not receive an immediate response.

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

“I wasn’t surprised,” Brown said of Team USA’s decision. “But my reaction was I was happy for him. It’s great to have so many of our guys there, so I was happy for them. But I wasn’t surprised.”

Brown has been critical of Nike for several years, including in a November 2022 post on X that read: “Since when does Nike care about ethics?”

The post followed a report that Nike co-founder Phil Knight said Kyrie Irving had “crossed the line” by sharing a link to an anti-Semitic film. Nike ended Irving’s sponsorship deal, even though he owned one of the company’s most popular signature shoes.

Brown originally signed with Adidas when he entered the NBA, then became a sneaker free agent and began wearing various Nike shoes with the swoosh logo removed.

While Brown’s frustrations appear to be directed at Team USA and Nike, he has not mentioned in previous posts and interviews that it was his teammate who received the honor. Brown was asked Monday if he had reached out to White since he had not publicly congratulated his teammate.

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

Brown also said he is focused on the Celtics’ upcoming season after their 2024 NBA championship, saying, “Just when that burden is lifted, you have more motivation to follow through.”

“For me, it’s back to square one,” Brown said. “My mindset is the championship is over. Now we’ve got to get back to work.”

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Grant Hill, the general manager of the U.S. men’s national team, has previously spoken out about the decision to add White to the Olympic roster, which also includes Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

“One of the many things I really like about Derrick, and especially on this team, is I don’t feel like his role changes much with our team from what he does with the Celtics,” Hill said. “He’s playing alongside two incredibly talented young players in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (in Boston). … Having someone who can come in and play against guys, be complementary to some of the other guys, but also step up and be a dynamic defensive player, make shots, that impacts winning.”

Hill did not specify why White was chosen over Brown at the time, but said: “My responsibility is to build a team that complements each other, a team that fits, a team that will give us the best chance of success.”

“And so, you know, whatever theories might exist, they’re just that,” Hill said.

Brown is a three-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2023. He and White were both part of the 2019 U.S. World Cup team.

White is the only player on Team USA who has never been an All-Star. He averaged 15.2 points and shot nearly 40 percent from three-point range for the Celtics, and was named a second-team All-Defense player.

The Americans will face Serbia and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi before finishing their pre-Olympic play in London. Team USA’s first game at the Paris Olympics will be against Serbia on July 28 in Lille, France.

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