Kawhi Leonard’s withdrawal from the Team USA roster for the Paris Olympics opened up a spot for another star. Many believed that reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown would take the Los Angeles Clippers superstar’s place as he was a like-for-like replacement positionally and has the accolades to deserve to be on the team. However, Team USA picked his Celtics teammate, guard Derrick White, much to Eddie Johnson’s frustration.
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During an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, the former NBA star lashed out at Team USA’s leadership group for snubbing Brown. He called out Team USA’s managing director Grant Hill and head coach Steve Kerr for leaving the Celtics star off the roster. He was especially perplexed about three of his teammates making the team. Johnson said,
“He[ Jaylen Brown] was the best player on his team in the entire playoffs, and he carried them to the Finals, and he gets Finals MVP, and they pick three other players off his team (White, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday) to go to the Olympics… That’s ridiculous. Grant Hill is a good friend [of mine]. [Team USA head coach] Steve Kerr is a good friend. But I disagree with them here.”
He added that White is an exceptional player and deserves to be on the team, but not ahead of Brown. The decision to leave the Finals MVP off the Olympics roster has stirred up a controversy, and unsurprisingly, Stephen A. Smith had plenty to say about it.
Stephen A Smith airs his opinion about Jaylen Brown’s snub
Jaylen Brown and Stephen A Smith have been going back and forth for nearly two months. It commenced in May when the analyst claimed his sources told him that the Celtics star wasn’t popular due to his “I-am-better-than-you attitude.”
Smith’s comments caught Brown’s attention and the 26-year-old retaliated by asking him to name his source. He even wore a t-shirt that read, “State your source,” during the Celtics’ championship parade as a jibe at the analyst.
But Smith had the last laugh. Brown’s surprise snub from the Team USA roster prompted him to gloat on X. He wrote,
“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!!!”
Brown seemingly responded to Smith with a cryptic post on X, but did not address him directly, as the beef between the two continues to simmer on low heat.
