Boston Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown made waves on social media following the announcement that his Boston teammate, Derrick White Jr. has replaced Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard on Team USA roster on Wednesday.
Brown posted emojis and mentioned Nike on social media in light of the White news, as though to indicate that he felt he was snubbed of a chance to represent the country in the Olympics.
Stephen A. Smith did not hold back on Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown
Enter ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, who used the situation to illustrate a point he made back in May about Brown not being a marketable player.
Do y’all believe me now? Yo @FCHWPO, do I need to reveal my sources now? Is it not obvious now? How in the hell is a $300M man — now a champion and an NBA Finals MVP— who’s clearly a top-two player on the
@celtics and a Top-15 player in the world, NOT chosen for Team-USA? B/c his teammate NOT named Tatum is selected before him? Come on y’all!!!
Do y’all believe me now? Yo @FCHWPO, do I need to reveal my sources now? Is it not obvious now? How in the hell is a $300M man — now a champion and an NBA Finals MVP— who’s clearly a top-two player on the @celtics and a Top-15 player in the world, NOT chosen for Team-USA? B/c his… https://t.co/IeGFr8ypJb
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 11, 2024
As a refresher, here’s what Smith said late last May during an episode of First Take that got Brown seemingly questioning Smith’s integrity.
State your source https://t.co/7ay3dXr6YN
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) May 26, 2024
Choosing someone like White over Brown can be a headscratcher to some especially when considering the facts that Smith just reminded everyone; Brown just won an NBA championship with the same team as White and he was the best player on that squad during the finals, hence the Finals MVP honor. So, what gives?
Here’s the explanation given by Team USA men’s basketball managing director Grant Hill (per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype):
“For a good portion of my career, I wore FILA. That was supposed to be a joke. We’re proud of our partners at USA Basketball. This is about putting together a team… Whatever theories might be out there, they’re just that.”
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