NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown sent the NBA world and possibly his championship-winning Boston Celtics into a spin, after firing off a cryptic tweet moments after his teammate Derrick White was named to replace Kawhi Leonard on the US team for the Paris Olympics.
Brown didn’t make the initial team for the 2024 Paris Games even though he won Eastern Conference Finals MVP and was named the most dominant player of the finals series.
Brown, a three-time All-Star, posted a cryptic message on X after news broke that White was the replacement.
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He followed that up a few hours later with a more direct message as he wrote: “@nike this is what we doing?”
Brown has taken shots at the Shoe giant in the past and seems to be suggesting the shoe giant had something to do with his snubbing.
USA Basketball’s Grant Hill denied Nike was behind Brown’s Olympic absence: “For a good portion of my career, I wore FILA. That was supposed to be a joke.
“We’re proud of our partners, obviously. This is about putting together a team.”
When Brown was drafted by the Celtics in 2016, he signed a shoe deal with adidas. He wore adidas for the first five seasons of his career but his contract expired in 2021.
Brown has not signed a shoe deal since then, playing as a sneaker free agent for the past three seasons.
During that time Brown has mostly worn Nike’s Kobe Bryant signature shoe, without having a deal, even having the ticks taken off the sides of the shoes.
He also criticised Nike after the shoe giant cut Kyrie Irving after making a social media posts that were deemed insensitive.
After winning the 2024 crown, the only other thing Brown needs on his resume is an appearance for Team USA.
The Celtics forward entered the league in 2016 and was considered for both the 2020 and 2024 USA men’s basketball teams, but never made the cut
“Playing for USA Basketball, I think there is no greater honour,” Brown said. “… Being able to participate would be very cool,” he said leading into the NBA season.
White averaged 15.2 points and 5.2 assists for the Celtics this past season. His selection gives Boston three of the 12 players on the U.S. roster; Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday also are Paris-bound.
Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics shoots during practice at the Auerbach Center. (Photo by Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images) MediaNews Group via Getty Images
“I am happy to announce that Derrick will compete at his first Olympic Games on the heels of a championship season in Boston,” USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill said. “We look forward to him joining the team in the coming days as we continue preparations for Paris.
“I want to thank Kawhi for his commitment to the USA Men’s National Team,” Hill added. “He earned the opportunity to represent the United States, but USA Basketball and Clippers leadership felt it’s important to allow Kawhi to prepare for the NBA season.”
White — a second-team All-Defensive selection after this past NBA season, meaning he’ll clearly take some of the on-ball defending duties that the Olympic team likely envisioned Leonard having — has some USA Basketball experience, including being part of the 2019 World Cup team that finished seventh in China.
He and the Celtics agreed on a four-year extension worth nearly $186 million after the playoff run, one in which he led Boston with 65 made 3-pointers on a team-best 40.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Leonard is a two-time NBA champion, six-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA player, but injury issues have been a recurring theme in his career. USA Basketball had monitored him closely in recent weeks, making sure he was doing well enough to be on the court after his season with the Clippers ended prematurely.
(L to R) Kristaps Porzingis #8, Jaylen Brown #7, Jayson Tatum #0, and Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics look on during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Two of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 09, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Getty
He has missed 256 regular-season games over the last seven years, including all of the 2021-22 season with knee trouble. He appeared in 68 games this past season for the Clippers, his most since playing in 74 for San Antonio during the 2016-17 season.
“This is just my journey,” Leonard said earlier this week, discussing his injuries. “I can’t lay out the perfect script for me. Last year I tried to play as much as possible, felt great and at a certain period of time I couldn’t go. I tried the best that I could, but it’s just my journey. I don’t want to be in a situation that (I’m) in, but I’ve got to take it for what it is. And a lot of people are watching, supporters or doubters. But I motivate a lot of people, so I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Leonard — part of a 592-person Olympic team formally named by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee earlier Wednesday — had said earlier this week that his knee was fine and he was able to resume on-court training about three weeks ago to get ready for the Games.
“I’m ready to go,” Leonard said then. “I’m playing now so, I’m happy.”
A couple of days later, hours before the first U.S. exhibition game against Canada and one day before the team departs for Abu Dhabi — the first of two international stops for more games and practices before arriving in France for the Olympics — Leonard was gone.
Leonard’s departure leaves the U.S., at least until White arrives, with 10 available players. Kevin Durant will not play against Canada because of a calf strain and could not compete in the team’s four-day training camp in Las Vegas that ended Tuesday. USA Basketball is working under the expectation that Durant will be ready for increasingly more on-court activity in the coming days.
Leonard had been invited to be part of USA Basketball teams in the past and had to decline for various reasons, primarily injury issues or long playoff runs.
“I always wanted to play against other talent overseas or just other basketball styles and players,” Leonard said. “It is one of the reasons why I play the game.”