Jaylen Brown Apparently Miffed by Latest Olympic Snub

His Celtics teammate Derrick White was chosen over Brown as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard on the roster preparing to play in Paris

Jaylen Brown / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The decision Wednesday by USA Basketball to have Derrick White fill the vacancy on the Olympic team roster after Kawhi Leonard left the team feeds Jaylen Brown’s long-time narrative that he often is overlooked.

But it’s a good question:

How was the MVP of both the Eastern Conference finals and the NBA Finals bypassed to fill a vacancy of a player whose profile is fairly similar?

White is a talented and versatile backcourt player coming off a terrific season. This is no reflection on what he brings to the equation.

But with Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday already representing the NBA champions on the team that will play in Paris, White’s inclusion means three Celtics players have gotten the nod over Brown, a former Cal star.

Really?

CBS Sports posed the inquiry this way:

“While White is certainly worthy of a spot on Team USA thanks to an incredibly solid 2023-24 season and his all-around game, many basketball fans are wondering why Brown didn't get the call. Apparently, Brown is wondering that very same thing based on a cryptic (but not-so-cryptic) post on X shortly after the USMNT made the announcement.”

🧐🧐🧐

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024

Although Brown’s message might be interpreted differently by dfferent people, it seems apparent he is, at the very least, a bit confused by the decision.

His response went viral on social media and Yahoo Sports offered this speculation about Brown’s intent:

“So what does that mean? Only Brown knows, of course. Cryptic social media activity is a hallmark of the modern professional athlete experience, and Brown's tweet is a prime example,” Yahoo wrote.

“But such activity rarely means that an athlete is happy. Ambiguous emoji use ranks alongside stripping social media of team references during contract disputes as a sign of displeasure. Such ambiguity delivers a message while leaving an out.”

More than once Brown has suggested he feels disrespected. He was, you might remember, caught off guard when he was voted MVP of the Eastern Conference finals.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all. I never win s_t.”

The roster spot came open when oft-injured Leonard opted to withdraw from the team in order to focus on rehabbing a knee injury that kept him out of four of the Clippers’ playoff games. 

Brown looked like a logical choice to fill the spot, given he and Leonard are about the same size, both play on the wing and both bring defensive skills to the team.

Brown and White both were in the initial pool of players considered for the Olympics, and White recently told the Boston Herald he would be ready to go as a roster replacement if Leonard bowed out.

“Any chance you can play for your country and just try to win a gold medal, I think that would definitely be something that, if Kawhi (can’t play) and they ask me, I’ll definitely be looking forward to,” White said.

Seth Greenberg on Jaylen Brown's omission from Team USA: 'He's Kawhi Leonard 2.0' https://t.co/ugpCo2D7sL

— Cal Sports Report (@jakecurtis53) July 11, 2024

NESN in Boston suggested this might not be the worst thing for the Celtics.

There remains a chance Brown could find his way onto the USA roster, with Kevin Durant nursing a minor calf injury that has kept him off the practice floor so far with Team USA.

Marc J, Spears of ESPN reported that Durant could miss all of the teams exhibition games but is expected to be available for the Olympic opener July 28 against Serbia.