Brad Stevens reacts to Jaylen Brown’s Team USA exclusion
Jaylen Brown did not make Team USA Basketball, and now the Celtics’ president of basketball operations has given his thoughts on the matter.
Brad Stevens spoke to reporters on Wednesday at the NBA Summer League, and was asked about the recent saga involving Brown and his exclusion from the Team USA roster. Brown called out Nike for what he believes is their involvement in his absence from the squad. Stevens’ comment on the matter, however, was predictably diplomatic.
“Jaylen’s a great player. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Jaylen could be on any team, could be on any Olympic team in any year, right?” Stevens said. “But at the end of the day, I think his approach – he talked about how he called Derrick [White], he talked about his own feelings from it – but I know this about Jaylen, whether he has success, and he gets all the accolades, like Finals MVP or Eastern Conference Finals MVP, or if he feels like he got left off a team, I know he’s going to be motivated and hungry regardless. That’s what I’ve always loved about him. He always comes back to work.”
Stevens referred to Brown’s own recent comments on the story, in which he explained that he called teammate Derrick White to clear the air with him and make sure White knows there’s no ill will toward his selection to Team USA. At the end of the day, it could’ve been anyone chosen to White’s spot on the team, and Brown would have blamed Nike and their ostensibly big influence over the team.
MORE: The Jaylen Brown-Nike beef, explained
Clearly, Brown was talented and accomplished enough to earn a spot on Team USA. That’s especially true now that he went on one of the great runs in Celtics playoff history, winning MVP in both the conference finals and the finals. But the hope for the C’s, now, is that Brown will do what he’s historically done in his career, which is channel his apparent anger to the court and ride it to more success in Boston.
Brown is no stranger to controversy these days, what with his Team USA feud and his recent comments on Bronny James. It’s just part of what makes him one of Boston’s most compelling pro athletes.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
