Jaylen Brown is coming off the best season of his life, helping the Celtics to the 2024 NBA title, along with being named NBA Finals MVP. So while he missed out on some individual accolades like All-NBA, Brown ended up getting the ultimate prize in the form of a championship.
Despite that, Brown was a surprise omission when it came to the USA Basketball men’s team heading into the Paris Olympics. And it appears he might be taking a shot at USA Basketball and Nike as he took to social media. Earlier Wednesday, C’s guard Derrick White replaced Kawhi Leonard on the 12-man roster. White’s coming off an impressive season himself, but there were those who wondered why Brown didn’t get the call-up to the team.
Brown had a pair of posts on social media that started the speculation. First came some emojis after the news came out Wednesday. Then Brown took a direct shot at Nike, asking “this what we doing?” For those wondering between the connection between Nike and USA Basketball, the apparel company has had a long relationship with the men’s national team.
Of course, Brown’s posts are up for interpretation, though they did get plenty of buzz on social media. But it is curious that Brown wasn’t named to the initial 12-man roster then wasn’t the first alternate for the team — especially after coming off a stellar playoff run with the Celtics.
Even without Brown, the Celtics still have plenty of representation on the men’s team. Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday — both of whom won gold at the Tokyo Olympics — were on the initial 12-man roster. White also boosts the number as a quarter of the U.S. team is also a member of the C’s. Regardless, unless there’s another replacement, it seems Brown will be on the outside looking in. USA Basketball plays Canada in an exhibition game at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in Las Vegas in its first game together as a team.