Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown said he called teammate Derrick White to make sure there was no “confusion” after Brown was critical of USA Basketball for not offering him a spot on Team USA.
Brown, named Finals MVP for the champion Celtics last month, was left off the original roster for the national team and was again passed over as a potential replacement for Kawhi Leonard in favor of White.
“I called Derrick right away,” Brown told reporters Monday during the Celtics’ Summer League game vs. the Lakers in Las Vegas. “Just to make sure there’s no confusion, my love for you and all of that. He knew that, and he did. You don’t always gotta make everything public. Me and D-White are good.”
Brown sent out a series of cryptic posts on social media after White’s selection was announced, including one directed at Nike, alluding the shoe company had a hand in him not getting the call.
Nike is a sponsor of USA Basketball. Brown does not have a shoe deal since his contract with Adidas expired three years ago.
“I do for sure,” Brown said Monday in response to a question about whether he believes Nike played a role in him not making Team USA. “They’ll be more stuff to come with that but as of now I’m not gonna comment on it.”
Team USA director Grant Hill denied Nike had a say in the decision last week, saying it was a difficult choice but White was the right call for the team.
