Jaylen Brown has reiterated his belief that Nike is blocking him from taking a spot on the United States Olympic basketball team.
After Kawhi Leonard opted out of the team last week, some expected the reigning NBA Finals MVP to be included on the roster.
But when he was passed over for Boston Celtics teammate Derrick White, Brown told CLNS reporter Bobby Manning that he feels the shoe brand had some involvement in keeping him off the team.
“Yeah, for sure. There will be more to come,” Brown said. “Right now, I’m not going to comment on that.”
As one of the best players in the world, Brown is arguably the most overlooked player on the roster, especially given his recent achievements.
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown believes Nike is keeping him off Team USA’s roster.
After Kawhi Leonard retired, some expected Brown to join LeBron and company on the team.
The former University of California star has been posting some cryptic messages on his Twitter account in recent days.
That includes a tweet directed at the company immediately after White was announced as a member of the team, saying: “@nike this is what we do?”
He later tweeted three monocle emojis and in a separate tweet wrote: “I’m not afraid of you or your resources.”
Nike is one of the sponsors of the U.S. team. Brown has not signed with any sneaker company since his contract with Adidas expired three years ago, according to ESPN.
During the Celtics’ run to the NBA Finals, the 27-year-old guard wore Nike sneakers.
Brown has criticized Nike in the past, such as in 2022 when the shoe company had issues with star Kyrie Irving. Brown tweeted: “Since when does Nike care about ethics?”
Team USA CEO Grant Hill denied any influence from Nike in keeping Brown off the roster.
“And so whatever theories there may be, they’re just that. But that’s my responsibility. And it’s tough,” Hill said, according to ESPN. “It’s tough to have conversations, to tell people they’re not on the team.
Brown was named NBA Finals MVP this season after leading the Celtics to a championship.
“I’m trying to win and trying to put the right pieces together that fit together and give us a chance to win.”
Although Brown believes Nike is keeping him off the roster, he told reporters he’s not surprised he wasn’t included.
He also said he has no problem with his Celtics teammate making the roster instead of him.
“I called Derrick right away to make sure there was no confusion, that I loved you and everything,” Brown told reporters in Las Vegas, according to CLNS. “He knew that and he did it. You don’t always have to make something public, but D-White and I are cool.”
