Jaylen Brown is no longer a sneaker free agent. He is on his own team and creating his own independent brand.

The Boston Celtics star is taking pre-orders for his new signature shoe, Rover, which will launch under his new performance brand and sneaker company 741 and will combine “advanced technology and minimalist design.” The reigning NBA Finals MVP is the latest star basketball player to create his own signature shoe line as part of the ongoing wave of athlete empowerment that spans fashion, culture, media and business.

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Brown, who is considered intellectual and curious, said he turned down more than $50 million from major shoe manufacturers to start 741, where he will have full ownership and creative control. The former University of California player has been spotted wearing the Rover sneakers all summer, until now with no explanation.

The launch of his first basketball shoe, which will officially drop on October 22, comes after Brown was a sneaker free agent for the past few seasons. His contract with Adidas ended in 2021. Since then, he has worn pairs of Kobes (Nike) and Adidas, but opted to cover up the shoe logos. His new sportswear project is his latest backlash against the apparel giants; he has publicly disparaged Nike on social media and criticized the company for its handling of the Kyrie Irving anti-Semitism controversy in 2022.

Brown, a member of the NBA players’ union executive committee, even went so far as to suggest that Nike played a role in his omission from the U.S. basketball team’s roster. The star-studded squad eventually won gold in Paris with the help of his Celtics teammates Derrick White and Jayson Tatum, who just released his latest signature shoe with Nike’s Jordan Brand (Jordan Tatum 3). Brown said earlier this week that he used the omission as fuel.

Brown said Complex He was inspired by the late Kobe Bryant, who had a vision to start his own independent shoe company before his death in 2020. The Atlanta native joins other NBA players who have started their own shoe brands, including Stephon Marbury and Shaquille O’Neal. Irving and Milwaukee Bucks forward Taurean Prince are among others who have partnered with existing shoe companies to launch their own brands.

It’s unclear whether Brown’s new Rover shoes and other products will be made in China, where the past decade has seen the emergence of brands that have made inroads into U.S. basketball. Li-Ning, for example, has worked with a number of current and former NBA stars, including Dwayne Wade, Baron Davis and Jimmy Butler.

Brown had a busy summer after helping the Celtics win their first title since 2008. He founded Boston XChange, which aims to close the racial wealth gap and support underrepresented entrepreneurs. He also entered the recording studio with hip-hop artist Ferg and released a song called “Just Do It,” Nike’s brand slogan.

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