Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown wasn't selected to suit up for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics this past summer. Still, Brown revealed he doesn't plan to join Nike to boost his chances of representing the United States at the 2028 Olympics and beyond.
"In 2028, if I have to sign to Nike to increase my likelihood to play USA basketball, I'll pass... I think shoe companies should have less control over the industry… Politics is not synonymous with basketball," Brown said in an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Brown made it clear he thinks that shoe companies have too much control over the sport, and wants to see the focus change to being more about the development of the league's top players.
"I believe that we should focus more on our development of our youth and grassroots, and I think sports shoe companies should have less control over the industry," Brown added. "Right now, I was one of those kids, you know, I was a top player, No. 1 actually. You came to one of my high school games, I remember that. I was a top player in high school, and there was so much to deal with --Nike, Adidas, going to an Adidas school, going to a Nike school -- and kids should just be focusing on development."
Despite an injury to Kawhi Leonard prior to the Paris Olympics, Brown still wasn't selected to Team USA this past summer. Instead, the honor went to Celtics teammate Derrick White.
That may have come as a bit of a surprise considering that Brown had been named the NBA Finals MVP last June. Brown believes that there is a bias when it comes to Team USA as the majority of its players are signed to Nike.
After all, six players on Team USA are signed to Nike, while two others are linked to Jordan Brand (also owned by Nike). The only non-Nike players on the team's roster for the Paris Olympics were Anthony Edwards (Adidas), Stephen Curry (Under Armour), Joel Embiid (Sketchers) and Leonard (New Balance).
White, who replaced Leonard on Team USA this past summer, is signed to Nike.
Brown is going in a different direction when it comes to his sneaker endorsement deals. In fact, the Celtics star launched his own sneaker brand called "741" this past summer.
