Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown prioritized his freedom of speech over a lucrative sneaker deal. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Why Jaylen Brown Turned Down $50 Million Nike Sneaker Deal

Originally posted on Sneakers on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 8:31 AM ET

There is still no love lost between Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown and Nike. Brown has repeatedly taken shots at the iconic sportswear brand over the years for everything from its business practices to its perceived influence on Team USA basketball.

The good news is that Brown turned his disenchantment into action by turning down a lucrative contract offer from Nike in order to start his own sportswear brand - 741 Performance.

Brown debuted his first signature sneaker with 741 over the past year, and the futuristic hoop shoes received positive reviews from the sneaker community.

Last week, Brown returned to his hometown to participate in an interview on The Big Tigger Morning Show on V-103 in Atlanta, Georgia. In the interview, the hosts asked Brown about his decision to turn down $50 million from Nike.

First, Brown clarified that it was $50 million spread out over multiple seasons, not a lump sum. He then offered a rationale for his decision. The topic starts at the 5:30 mark in the YouTube video below.

"It wasn't as hard as people think. And it also wasn't all at one time; it was like over a certain amount of years. It wasn't like I just turned down $50 million at once, but it was like accumulated," explained Brown.

The first reason Brown cited for turning down the contract offer was the fine print that could potentially censor his freedom of speech, explaining there was a "catchphrase" that said, "If you say anything controversial or anything that disrupts our ecosystem of our company, we can terminate your deal. We can terminate your contract."

He proceeded to say, "So, that kind of makes you not have a voice. A lot of our celebrities and our athletes, they never speak up or they never say anything, because they risk whatever that contract is if they do. I don't like compromising my voice for nothing or nobody. So, I just told them I'll pass."

When asked about his decision to wear Kobe Bryant's retro Nike sneakers with the Swoosh logos removed, Brown explained, "I was a free agent at the time, so I was a free agent for like two years. I met with all the top companies in the world that we all know about: Nike, PUMA, adidas, etc. Just to see what the potential for me being an athlete."

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Brown continued, "At the time, nothing was working out just because the way my brain was thinking. So, I needed to wear shoes, and Nike had the best shoes on the market. But I wasn't signed to them, so I wasn't about to give them no free advertisement or nothing like that.

So, I started wearing Kobes because I love Kobe. Kobe is actually the reason why I started my brand now. I can have my own sneaker brand and come up with my own rules instead of following somebody else's. But I **** with Kobe, but I don't **** with Nike. So, I took the Nike sign off, so I was just wearing boneless Kobes."

Brown went on to reiterate the rumor that Bryant planned to leave Nike before his passing, and that the midsole of his 741 shoe is inspired by Nike Kobe shoes.

The entire interview was interesting and worth watching for NBA fans and sneakerheads. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the NBA and beyond.