Jaylen Brown appears to express conspiracy theory about Nike

Although several other Boston Celtics players are now on the Team USA roster, Jaylen Brown is unhappy that he was not called up as well.

Celtics guard Derrick White was officially named to the U.S. Olympic team on Wednesday, replacing a former Finals MVP who was forced to withdraw due to injury. Brown, the reigning Finals MVP, was upset that he was not selected in his place and took to social media to voice an apparent conspiracy theory about Nike.

After posting some cryptic emojis to X, Brown also said in a separate post: “@nike this is what we do?”

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@nike is that what we do?

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024

Nike is a long-time (and perhaps the most high-profile) sponsor of the Olympics. Brown, who is not currently signed to any shoe brand, has previously openly criticized Nike for its alleged lack of ethics.

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Since when does Nike care about ethics? https://t.co/f8t2eY994v

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) 10 November 2022

It sounds like Brown believes he is being intentionally left out of the Olympic team by Nike officials. Those who agree with him also pointed out that Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, a former Nike athlete who was released by the company in 2022 and subsequently took some swipes at them, was also not selected for the U.S. Olympic team.

While the U.S. team’s selection of White was entirely justifiable, as he got a less-used supporting player to complement the killer row of top talent already on the U.S. roster, Brown seems to believe something more sinister is afoot. Brown, who has also been a strong advocate for community involvement in the past, believes he met the criteria for selection… but that was not the case.