Jaylen Brown took challenge with being missed by Group USA following Kawhi Leonard’s premature damage, which opened up a roster spot that wasn’t supplied to the reigning NBA Finals MVP and three-time All-Star.
Brown took to social media to specific his displeasure and beliefs that Nike, the lead sponsor for USA Basketball, influenced the choice to as a substitute welcome aboard Boston Celtics teammate Derrick White. Brown is not a Nike-sponsored athlete, and the 27-year-old has been closely essential of the billion-dollar company’s ethics previously.
Nevertheless, one other window of alternative may open for Brown — but once more.
“If issues change and it turns into clear that (Kevin) Durant cannot play on the Olympics, Brown’s identify may resurface as a substitute,” in response to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
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Durant is therapeutic from a calf damage, which Group USA head coach Steve Kerr revealed makes the 35-year-old unlikely to play in Monday’s Olympic exhibition matchup towards Australia. The severity of the damage is unclear.
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Jrue Vacation, certainly one of three Celtics teammates chosen forward of Brown, was the one prior exception — other than White — of Group USA’s brass favoring function gamers over stars. In actual fact, White is the one roster member with out a number of All-Star appearances to his identify. Historically, USA Basketball has virtually all the time leaned on the NBA’s star energy when assembling its Olympic crew, and this predominately remained the case in 2024, too.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker do not precisely match the “role-player” mildew.
“You must construct a group. And one of many hardest issues is leaving individuals off the roster that I am a fan of, that I stay up for watching all through the season, all through the playoffs,” USA males’s nationwide group managing director Grant Hill informed reporters Wednesday, per Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports activities Boston. “Guys who’ve been Finals MVP, guys who’ve been part of this system, guys who’ve gained gold medals. Guys who I respect, admire and luxuriate in watching. However the duty that I’ve is to place collectively a group and a group that enhances one another.”
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Brown, who final season averaged 23 factors on 49.9% capturing from the ground, did not present a lot of a response when attending Thursday evening’s ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, however does stay adamant on an uncovered issue working behind the scenes.
“It feels nice to have help, and sooner or later I will share my story,” Brown informed Sports activities Illustrated. “Folks do not have all the data on this planet that they’d prefer to know. It simply feels nice to be right here on the ESPYs and to be holding up the Larry O’Brien.”
Group USA nonetheless has 4 showcase contests, together with Monday’s towards Australia, earlier than heading to Paris to open up the Olympic group play of video games towards Serbia on July 28.
