When it was clear Jaylen Brown wouldn’t be named to the USA Basketball roster, the star Celtics wing’s frustration was evident. There was also another interesting wrinkle from the complaints: Brown also seemingly called out Nike in the process.
Nike has long had influence when it comes to USA Basketball as its apparel partner. Brown has also been critical of the company in the past as he also alluded to there being more details behind the scenes. Speaking Monday at the Celtics vs. Lakers Summer League game, Brown confirmed he thinks Nike had something to do with the roster snub.
“I do, for sure,” Brown said when asked about Nike. “There’ll be more stuff to come of that. But, as of now, I’m not going to comment on it.”
USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill broke down why Brown was left off the roster, citing tough roster decisions. Hill also made a joke saying he wore Fila during his playing days, implying the final call didn’t have anything to do with Nike and more the roster.
Brown also addressed any potential issues his public comments could have considering C’s teammate Derrick White was named as the replacement. But Brown revealed he called White “right away” to congratulate him, saying his frustrations were with USA Basketball and not anything to do with White. The C’s also have some heavy representation already with Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday already on the team.
For now, Brown said he’ll enjoy the summer and use the snub as motivation going forward — especially after winning the 2024 title. Brown’s coming off a career season where he was named NBA Finals MVP, and in the month since winning it all, he’s enjoyed the spotlight that comes from such an accomplishment.
“Right when that burden gets alleviated, you get more motivation to follow it,” Brown said. “For me, it’s back to ground one. My mindset is championship is over now. Now, we gotta get back to work.”
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