Jaylen Brown’s snub from Team USA’s 2024 Olympic campaign caused a massive stir in the basketball community. After Kawhi Leonard was replaced by the 2024 Finals MVP’s Celtics teammate Derrick White, Brown himself called out his surprising absence from the stacked team.
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It’s been more than two months since the quadrennial tournament concluded with Team USA winning the Gold Medal. However, Brown’s father still believes his son was wronged.
Marselles Brown expressed his frustrations on the matter on SiriusXM NBA Radio while also revealing his son’s reaction. The former heavyweight boxer lashed out instantly upon hearing the question.
“My feelings on that is Bullsh*t,” Marselles exclaimed.
“i don’t know if I’m allowed to say that. I thought that was really foul. 100%. He [JB] handled it well as a young man… I’m proud of him regardless,” he added.
“I’m proud of him regardless.”
Jaylen Brown’s dad, @marselles_brown, talks with @BGeltzNBA and @SamMitchellNBA about Jaylen being left off the Team USA roster this summer. pic.twitter.com/dHQNS9SBLh
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 12, 2024
Brown thinks that the Team USA snub had nothing to do with merit, performance, or form. According to the Boston Celtics star, Nike swayed Grant Hill and the rest of the selection committee members’ decision to leave him out of the roster. Brown thinks that the snub was a response to his criticism of the brand’s practices and their stance in certain social situations.
However, Hill denied all such allegations and said that Nike holds no authority in the selection procedure. The reason why JB was left out was because the team was picked before Brown made the brilliant postseason run with the Celtics.
Irrespective of what the real reasons may be, Hill has virtually promised the 2024 Finals MVP a spot on the USA roster for the 2028 Olympics.
Hill tried to mitigate the situation
Grant Hill instantly became a villain in the eyes of Boston fans after the controversy. The Team USA Basketball director was accused of trying to split the Celtics team by selecting Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White while leaving out Jaylen Brown.
Addressing all such rumors, Hill explained the thought process behind the team’s construction on a podcast.
“You gotta do your job, I’ve tried to do this the right way. When we first put out the roster back in April, before it was announced, I called certain guys. I called Paul George, Damian Lillard, Jaylen Brown, I felt like they were of a certain stature where they deserved to hear it before it was made public,” Hill said.
He believes that the tension between Brown and him will soon be resolved. After inviting the Celtics star for a sit-down conversation, Hill also guaranteed him a spot on the roster representing the USA at the 2028 Olympics. It’ll be interesting to see how JB reacts to this early invitation.
