NBA Rumors: Jaylen Brown told Derrick White the comments about being snubbed by the US team were not ‘personal’ | News, results, highlights, stats and rumors
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Jaylen Brown’s frustration at being passed over by the U.S. national team at the Olympics had nothing to do with Derrick White being specifically named to the squad as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Brown sent a text message directly to White during the situation “to make sure he knew none of it was personal” between the two Boston Celtics teammates.
On July 10, it was announced that Leonard, who had been struggling with knee problems since the playoffs in April, would not participate in the Olympics due to a mutual agreement between the U.S. team and the Los Angeles Clippers.
White was named as Leonard’s replacement for the games in Paris. Brown, who had just been named MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, made it clear that he was not happy with the decision.
Brown seemed to indicate that he believed Nike – the main sponsor of the U.S. team at the Olympics – was involved in the decision-making process.
Jaylen Brown @FCHWPO
@nike is that what we do?
The Celtics striker is currently a Sneaker Free Agent after previously having a contract with Adidas that expired in 2021. During the Celtics’ postseason, he wore Nike shoes on the court.
While all this was happening, Brown publicly stated that he was happy for White and proud that several Celtics players represented the United States at the Olympics.
Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Jaylen Brown on his non-participation in the US team: “I wasn’t surprised, but I was happy for D White. It’s great that so many of our guys are there, so I was happy for the guys. But I wasn’t surprised.” pic.twitter.com/UcL9XAhhOr
Shelburne noted that people within the Celtics organization were not surprised because Brown is not afraid to speak his mind.
“That’s Jaylen,” a team source told Shelburne. “He’s not afraid to speak his mind. Jaylen is constantly skeptical and sees doubters everywhere.”
Celtics center Al Horford told Shelburne that Brown may be harboring a major grudge again because he seemed “so hungry, so motivated, so determined” while training in the gym this summer.
White, Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum all won gold medals for Team USA this summer. It was the ninth time a player has won an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal in the same year. Holiday already accomplished this in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brown averaged 23.0 points on 49.9 percent shooting and 5.5 rebounds per game in 70 appearances for the Celtics last season.
