Jaylen Brown hasn’t moved on from Team USA snubbing him for the 2024 Paris Olympics. After implying that sneaker politics led to his omission from the squad, USA Basketball Director Grant Hill called Brown’s feelings a ‘conspiracy theory,’ which the reigning Finals MVP has taken umbrage with.
“Grant Hill calling me a conspiracy theorist is disappointing. I’ve been a VP since I was 21 years old. I have a great understanding.”
grant hill calling me a conspiracy theorist is disappointing I’ve been a VP since I was 21 years old I have a great understanding
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 28, 2024
Brown was responding to comments Hill made on Dan Patrick’s show.
“I don’t know if that was before or after things went out on Twitter. But yeah, I think this idea that there’s a conspiracy theory — I always love a good conspiracy theory, but it was really truly a basketball decision and these are tough decisions. But having gone through this with the FIBA competition, you want to find the right balance and the right pieces on the court that we needed.”
(Starts at 6:44)
It seems a large portion of the basketball world is convinced about Brown being snubbed because he isn’t a Nike athlete, as purported by specific members of the media as well. Jaylen, who once everyone believed would be a Nike athlete, has had sour relations with the brand after they dropped Kyrie Irving in 2022, being one of the few athletes to speak out in support of Kyrie.
Jaylen Brown’s Non-Selection Might Just Be About Fit
Jaylen Brown will feel Nike held up his call-up, as he was undoubtedly one of the top players in the NBA last season, winning Eastern Conference and Finals MVP over his three Celtics’ teammates who actually got call-ups. However, the way Team USA lined up against Serbia indicates the decision was probably related to basketball.
Brown has played as many Olympic minutes in 2024 as teammate Jayson Tatum, who was handed a DNP as he watched Team USA dominate Serbia in a 110-84 win over 40 minutes. Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton were the only Team USA players not to touch the floor, with both Jrue Holiday and Derrick White playing impactful minutes in the win.
Steve Kerr has lamented his decision to not play Tatum, so it’s likely we see the three-time All-NBA First Team selection make his Paris 2024 debut in the USA’s game against South Sudan in two days. But Tatum not getting a look shows that this team is relying on compatibility and versatility instead of name-value.
Tatum is one of the pillars of Jordan Brand, and their highest-profile player at the Olympics alongside Victor Wembanyama, especially with Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson not playing in Paris. Despite that, he was the one who got a DNP in this matchup.
Jaylen Brown is a two-way swingman who could play whatever role Team USA would need him to, but he’s not as strong a POA defender as White or Holiday, and he isn’t a primary ball-handler as either of the guards. If Tatum, after proving he can be a No. 1 option as well as a team-oriented forward, is getting DNPs, Brown would be in a similar position.
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