LAS VEGAS — Jaylen Brown turned some heads last week when he was public about his frustrations after getting left off the USA Basketball men’s roster. The talented wing is coming off a career season where he won a championship and was named NBA Finals MVP, but the decision-makers ended up going a different way.
There was a twist, too, in Brown’s complaints going public. After Kawhi Leonard withdrew from the Paris Olympics, C’s teammate Derrick White ended up being the replacement on the roster. So there were those who questioned if Brown’s frustrations could’ve spilled over to White. Brown, speaking during the Celtics vs. Lakers Summer League game Monday, cleared up the air there.
“I called Derrick right away,” Brown said. “Just to make sure there’s no confusion, my love for you and all of that. He knew that, and he did. You don’t always gotta make everything public. Me and D-White are good.”
It’s no surprise Brown called White even if he was unhappy with USA Basketball’s decision to leave him off the roster. USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill recently broke down why Brown was left off the roster, citing they had to make some tough decisions when it came to the team.
Brown also surprised some when he criticized Nike, USA Basketball’s apparel partner, when it came to the roster decisions. Nike has long been connected with the program, and as part of his frustrations, Brown called out the company. Brown said Monday he thinks that his connection with Nike did have something to do with him getting snubbed off the roster, adding “there’ll be more stuff to come with that.” But the star wing declined to comment further than that.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Brown said of USA Basketball’s decision. “My reaction was I was happy for D-White. Stoked to have so much of our guys on there. So I was happy for those guys. But I wasn’t surprised.”
Regardless, Brown sounds like he’s going to use the exclusion as motivation going forward. But first, he’ll enjoy his summer — especially after winning the title. He’s already made some public appearances as he’s enjoyed the spotlight and fame that comes from winning it all. Then he’ll get right back to work.
“Right when that burden gets alleviated, you get more motivation to follow it,” Brown said. “For me, it’s back to ground one. My mindset is championship is over now. Now, we gotta get back to work.”