Jaylen Brown‘s exclusion from the US Men’s Basketball Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics has caused an uproar. The Boston Celtics star did not make the initial 12-man roster. However, when a spot opened up following Kawhi Leonard’s withdrawal, many believed the Finals MVP was a no-brainer choice to replace him. But astonishingly, it instead went to his Celtics teammate Derrick White. Theories began circulating about why he was overlooked. Rachel Nichols has disclosed Grant Hill’s reasoning for it.
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On Undisputed, she revealed that she spoke with the Hall of Famer, who is also Team USA’s managing director. He explained that White’s unique skill set and the team’s current setup prompted them to pick him ahead of Brown. Nichols said,
“Grant Hill called me from Abu Dhabi the other day to talk to me about the Jaylen Brown-Derrick White situation and he made the point, the little things that Derrick White does that are a little bit different and his role on the team, and the fact that they could bring in someone who is a guard instead of a forward, because of the way the rotation is shaping out.”
.@Rachel__Nichols details her conversation with Grant Hill on Team USA choosing Derrick White over Jaylen Brown: pic.twitter.com/NYCoIFELUI
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 17, 2024
Nichols added that Hill clarified that Nike, Team USA’s apparel sponsor, played no role in their decision to leave the Celtics superstar off the team. Many, including Brown, theorized that his surprise exclusion was due to his past criticism of Nike and alluding that they were an unethical brand.
What did Jaylen Brown say about Nike?
In 2021, Nike terminated their sponsorship deal with Kyrie Irving after the then-Brooklyn Nets forward promoted a movie on Instagram that allegedly had an antisemitic message. The brand’s owner Phil Knight blasted the veteran guard and claimed he “stepped over the line” by promoting the film, leaving them no choice but to cut ties with him.
The comments did not sit well with Brown, who called out Knight and Nike on X, writing, “Since when did Nike care about ethics?”
Since when did Nike care about ethics? https://t.co/f8t2eY994v
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) November 10, 2022
The brand and the player have since been at loggerheads. He even blamed Nike for Team USA’s decision to pick White ahead of him after Leonard’s exit. He tagged the brand in a post on X and asked, “This what we doing?“
@nike this what we doing ?
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024
Nichols claimed that despite Grant vehemently denying Nike’s involvement in their decision to leave Brown out, the Celtics star refuses to believe they had no say in the matter. She revealed that she spoke with the forward during his trip to Las Vegas to watch the Summer League and he reiterated that the brand’s influence was why he’s not on the roster.
On merit, Brown deserves to be on the team. However, Grant claims he and the coaching staff are content with the forwards they have on the roster. While the forward’s exclusion likely wouldn’t affect Team USA’s odds of winning the gold medal, the reigning Finals MVP being forced to watch the Olympics from home is odd.
