With Team USA basketball looking to defend their 2020 Olympics gold medal, the Boston Celtics are well-represented with one glaring omission, Jaylen Brown. Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are all on Team USA's roster as they go for the gold.
Jaylen Brown's omission from Team USA for the Olympics drew plenty of scrutiny with Brown himself suggesting that Nike played a key role in him not getting consideration for Team USA. Former NBA player Grant Hill is one of the decision-makers in selecting Team USA's roster and during a recent appearance on ‘Open Run' hosted by longtime NBA reporter Rachel Nichols, Hill suggested that Brown could have a spot waiting for him in 2028.
“I'm confident that he and I will sit down at some point and talk about it and get to some level of understanding.” Hill said. “He'll be a candidate if he wants in '28.”
Following Brown's suggestion that Nike was behind his exclusion from Olympic roster consideration, Hill fired back at him calling it a conspiracy theory. Brown responded on social media saying he was disappointed that Hill would suggest that he is a conspiracy theorist.
It's important to note though that while Brown may have issues with those in charge of putting together the Olympics roster, he has absolutely no hard feelings towards his teammates who are representing Team USA. Tatum and Holiday were part of the initial selection and White was added when Kawhi Leonard was removed.
Jaylen Brown continues stardom with Celtics
Jaylen Brown may not have been under Olympics consideration, but he's an MVP for the Celtics, quite literally. Brown was named the 2024 NBA Finals MVP after helping the Celtics dispatch the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win the franchise's 18th NBA title.
The former No. 3 overall pick has emerged as one of the best wings in the NBA on both ends of the court. Brown appeared in 70 games for the Celtics this season and was named to his third All-Star appearance and second consecutive.
During the Celtics playoff run, Brown averaged 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 51.6 percent shooting from the field, 32.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 66 percent shooting from the free-throw line. His points per game and field goal percentage were both playoff career-highs.
This offseason, the Celtics inked Tatum and White to contract extensions while Holiday signed his extension near the end of the regular season. Brown agreed to his contract extension last offseason. The signings ensure that the Celtics remain contenders for the foreseeable future with their championship core locked into place.
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