Following Kawhi Leonard’s withdrawal from Team USA last week, Derrick White was granted the final spot instead of Jaylen Brown. White was named Leonard’s replacement after he suffered a knee injury. Many believed Brown got snubbed because the Celtics phenom was Finals MVP, thus proving his worth to Team USA’s aims for a gold medal in Paris. During 2024’s NBA finals, JB averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists.
Brown believes Nike was responsible for his snub from the U.S. Olympic roster. “I do for sure. There’s more stuff to come with that,” the Celtics star remarked. On his X account, Brown tweeted three monocle emojis with the caption: “I’m not afraid of you or your resources” while shooting direct shots at Nike by saying: “this what we doing?”
Team USA’s executive director Grant Hill said Nike was not responsible for snubbing JB from the lineup. “Whatever theories that might be out there, they’re just that. That’s my responsibility and it’s tough,” Hill told ESPN.
Brown congratulated his teammate for making the Olympic roster. “I called Derrick right away just to make sure there was no confusion,” Brown told reporters. “Me and D-White are good.”
For now, the 2024 Finals MVP is looking forward to next season. “For me, it’s back to ground one,” Brown said. “The championship is over with, now, we got to get back to work.”