Kawhi Leonard’s withdrawal from the Paris Olympics tournament led to a lot of drama involving the USA Team management and Jaylen Brown. The former had set their eyes on Boston Celtics’ Derrick White for a long time as Kawhi’s replacement. This raised many eyebrows, as his much more impressive teammate, Brown, was not considered for the role.
Despite the team’s managing director, Grant Hill, giving an explanation for choosing White, he couldn’t convince Brown. The Boston swingman felt it was the sneaker giants, Nike, who hadn’t made the decision go in his favor as he didn’t have a deal with them.
When Brown’s accusations reached Hill, the Hall of Famer said, “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.”
Hill was right in admitting that the contract with the band had nothing to do with the team selection. Even the current USAB squad has multiple players like Steph Curry, Joel Embiid and Anthony Edwards who do not have any connection with Nike, which contradicts what Brown said. However, the 2024 Finals MVP has a different opinion.
Why Did Jaylen Brown Fire at Nike?
Right after the USA Team management announced that Kawhi Leonard would be replaced by White, Brown shared three monocle-faced emojis on X (FKA Twitter) which grabbed the attention. The 27-year-old then tagged Nike on another X post igniting their old beef to ask, “this what we doing?”
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Brown’s rivalry with the brand has been going on since they called out Kyrie Irving after an antisemitic film promotion. Even after proving himself throughout the lastest season, when Brown didn’t get a spot in the team, it disappointed him and his fans.
While Brown might be one of the top players in the current lot, not every good player fights in all teams. So, the management has taken the decision based on their strategies. The USAB had their first exhibition game against Canada that went in favor of them. Hopefully, White will be able to catch up when he joins the rest of the team in sessions.
