Jaylen Brown drops 4-word response, continuing beef with Nike after 'childish' diss
On Sunday, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics picked up a 113-107 win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. During the game, The Greek Freak faked out Brown with a high five before running his hand over his head at the last second.
After the game, Brown called the move childish while speaking with media members. Fast forward to Wednesday night, Antetokounmpo dropped 59 points in a 127-120 overtime win for Milwaukee against the Detroit Pistons, and Nike recycled Brown's "childish" diss.
In a post on X, the @NikeBasetball account gave a shout out to Antetokounmpo's 59-point outing, writing:
"Nothing childish about ‘em. 59 for the Greek freak."
In response, Jaylen Brown wrote:
"Yall got weird energy"
The exchange between the two sides caught the attention of fans given that Brown blamed Nike for being the reason he didn't get a chance to step in and compete for Team USA this summer in Paris.
Given that Nike is one of Team USA's sponsors, the fact that Brown has been critical of the company in the past has seemingly created beef between the two sides.
"Kids should just be focusing on development" - Jaylen Brown believes sneaker companies have too much influence over the basketball industry
Back in 2022, Kyrie Irving was dropped by Nike and handed a suspension from the Brooklyn Nets after sharing an antisemitic video on his Instagram account. At the time, Jaylen Brown stood up for Irving, questioning the suspension and the terms Irving had to meet to be cleared to play again.
Then, when Phil Knight took aim at Irving for sharing the documentary online, Brown took aim at him and Nike with his own post on X:
Since then, Brown has been seen hooping in Nike shoes with the company's signature swoosh removed, sending a clear message that he won't support the company. Given that, he believes Nike had something to do with being passed up for a chance to be a substitute for Team USA this summer.
During an appearance on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" in October, he said shoe companies should have less control of the basketball industry.
"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. Right now, I was one of those kids, you know, I was a top player, number one 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."
While his harsh stance against Nike could mean that he's passed up for a chance to compete for Team USA at the Paris Olympics, Jaylen Brown has made it clear that he won't back down.