Jaylen Brown is coming off his best season of basketball in his entire where he helped lead the Boston Celtics to a championship and was named NBA Finals MVP but Team USA thinks that Derrick White is a better option to take to the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Something doesn't add up.
White was selected to replace Kawhi Leonard as it was announced that the Los Angeles Clippers star would be withdrawing himself from representing the United States in Paris. Now to the guard's credit, he did perform well this season — averaging 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game — but compared to Brown there is no question who Team USA should have taken.
Brown averaged 23 points and 5.5 rebounds a game this past season. He earned an All-Star nod and was crucial in the postseason. Having the dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Brown allows for player's to have off nights.
When Tatum struggled in the 2024 postseason, Brown was able to pick up the pieces as reflected in his Eastern Conference Final and NBA Finals MVPs.
First, Brown used the art of emojis on Wednesday to express his feelings on the snub.
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024
Brown later added some additional thoughts indicating that the relationship between Nike and Team USA played a role in him not getting selected.
@nike this what we doing ?
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024
Brown has been critical of Nike in the past. When Nike dropped Kyrie Irving from the brand after the current Dallas Maverick shared seemingly anti-Semitic posts back in 2022, Brown viewed it as hypocritical from a company whose ethics regarding labor can also be called into question.
While fans might be able to understand the business aspect of why Nike wouldn't want Brown wearing a Team USA jersey, it goes against everything that the Olympics stands for. It is putting profit and business relationships ahead of what should be the pinnacle of athletic achievement.
When you look at Brown's performances on the court, he is seemingly a perfect fit for the Team USA roster. If he is being left off the roster because Nike can not handle criticism, his response is more than justified.
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