Jaylen Brown has been in the news a lot lately. Considering he was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, a bit of extra media coverage for one of the game’s greatest two-way players is probably fair.
While analyzing trade returns and trying to determine why a five-time All-Star would get dealt elsewhere is entertaining, it’s also fun to reflect on the past. Like, remember when Brown was surprisingly left off the Team USA roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Grant Hill Weighs In on Jaylen Brown’s Nike Allegations Behind Team USA Snub
Not having Brown on Team USA felt like a strange decision at the time. Yet, much like in the aftermath of the trade from Boston to Philly, a litany of stories and theories emerged shortly after.
One even came from Brown himself, who suggested that his not signing a shoe deal with Nike somehow influenced who Team USA Basketball director Grant Hill placed on the roster that summer.
Now, two years later, Hill spoke on the “Road Trippin’ Show” podcast and argued against those claims.
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Hill attempted to contact everyone and personally break the news that they didn’t make the roster. He mentioned talking to Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, and Brown, with whom he had an “unbelievable conversation.”
“When I announced the team, there were certain guys I called before Woj and Shams broke it,” Hill said. “I tried to call everybody because you never know when they’re going to break it. You want to give guys the respect to hear it from me. I called Jaylen. We had a great conversation. Unbelievable conversation.”
Grant Hill on Jaylen Brown not being on the USA team:
“When I announced then team, there were certain guys that I called before Woj and Shams broke it. And I called like Lillard, I called Jimmy Butler, I tried to call everybody because you never know when they’re going to break… pic.twitter.com/c6Pdzl4xfz
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) July 20, 2026
As for the claims Brown made about Hill being influenced by Nike or what he refers to as a “shoe company”, the coach found that suggestion to be “weird.” Hill also took Brown’s accusation as an attack on his character.
“Something got lost there,” Hill added. “The implication that a shoe company… you guys can criticize my leadership. You can criticize the ability to put together a roster. When you’re in a role that I’m in, you open yourself up to criticism and I accept that. But to imply that a shoe company told me what to do. Now you questioning my character, and that was the thing that was weird.”
It’s worth noting that Brown was not selected, while his teammate, Derrick White, who is a Nike athlete, was chosen for Team USA at the time. While White is not an All-Star, he is a three-time member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team.
In the end, Team USA took home the gold without needing any help from Brown. But he still has his Finals MVP trophy from that same summer, so in a way, everybody won.
