Why is Jaylen Brown missing out on the USA basketball Olympic Games roster?

The decision to change the lineup for the Olympic Games has caused some controversy in the United States basketball media. The change came in after Kawhi Leonard, who has been dealing with a severe right knee injury, announced he may not be able to participate in the Paris Olympic tournament. While the country’s basketball federation initially chose Leonard to play, he decided not to participate in the training camp organized in Las Vegas, expressing fears about his conditioning and capabilities to help the team.

As soon as Kawhi Leonard was left out of the Dream Team in their Olympic pursuit, news about his replacement, Derrick White, came in. The USA Basketball announcement stated that the Celtics player will join the team in Abu Dhabi at their first international stop.

In the aftermath of this story, Jaylen Brown seems to be the biggest victim, without any intention to criticize the USA basketball decision and White’s capabilities as a player. Brown, indeed, had expected to be called as Leonard’s replacement. He was in outstanding form after helping Boston triumph in the NBA Finals by beating the Mavs in just five games. And he was chosen as the best player in that decisive American League playoff. Without any comprehensive explanation, he has to watch his teammates, Tatum or White, be part of the Olympic “dream team” without him.

What could be the possible reasons, by Jalen?

The NBA Finals MVP unexpectedly pointed in another direction when it was learned that White would be the 12th member of the Dream Team instead of him. On his social networks, he left a message addressed to Nike: “This is what we are doing?”

The allusion is not accidental: the company is a partner of the American Basketball Federation. It sponsors and provides sports equipment and clothing for basketball teams, and the player sees a connection between the company and the decision not to be invited to the Olympic team lineup. This issue, obviously, has a long history.

Grant Hill, the former NBA player and now the USA Basketball national team manager, was asked about this thorny issue during the match between the United States and Canada in Las Vegas. “I have worn Fila for a good part of my career,” said the manager in a humorous tone to try to make light of this topic. “You get 12 spots, and you have to build a team,” Hill said. “And one of the hardest things is leaving people off the roster that I’m a fan of that I look forward to watching throughout the season, throughout the playoffs. Guys who’ve been Finals MVPs, guys who’ve been a part of the program, guys who’ve won gold medals, guys who I respect, admire, and enjoy watching. But the responsibility that I have is to put together a team and a team that complements each other, a team that fits a team that will give us the best opportunity for success,” highlighted the national team manager.

“Whatever theories that might be out there, they’re just that. But that’s my responsibility. And it’s tough. It’s tough to have conversations, tell people that they’re not on the team,” Hill stated.

Brown has a history with Nike that is not only reduced to wearing its sneakers, something he also did with Adidas before and with Kanye West’s Donda Sports later. “Since when does Nike care about ethics?” he wrote on Twitter in 2022 to defend Kyrie Irving, formerly of the Celtics, from the company’s accusations of spreading hate messages after that controversy with an anti-Semitic poster that led to sanctions and disapproval. That’s where this reaction comes from.