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Jaylen Brown Fires Back at Nike Basketball on Social Media

Jaylen Brown called out Nike Basketball's post about Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Pat Benson

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown responded to Nike Basketball's official social media account.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown responded to Nike Basketball's official social media account. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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The 2024-25 NBA regular season is barely a month old, and there has already been a surplus of drama on the court. One of the more longstanding rivalries is between a player and a sneaker brand.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown does not like Nike. The NBA Finals MVP has repeatedly called out the American sportswear brand for its business practices and influence on Team USA Basketball.

In case you missed it, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo pranked Brown with a fake handshake during a game. It was a slick move, but Brown called out Antetokounmpo after the game. He said, "Giannis is a child" for the move.

Fast forward a few days later, and Antetokounmpo dropped 59 points in the Nike Freak 6. The official Nike Basketball X account posted, "Nothing childish about 'em. 59 for the Greek freak."

It did not take long for Brown to engage with the social media post. He quoted the original post and added, "Yall (sic) got weird energy."

Thanks to Antetokounmpo's fake handshake and Nike's social media team, Brown has more reasons to hate the brand he used to wear on the hardwood during games.

Brown was a sneaker free agent for a few seasons before eventually passing on a $50 million deal to start his own footwear brand called 741 Performance. In the press release, Brown went out of his way to mention the late great NBA legend Kobe Bryant was planning on leaving Nike to start his own company.

It is only the middle of November, and the beef between Brown and Nike shows no signs of cooling off anytime soon. Basketball fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all their footwear news from the NBA and beyond.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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