"That's the f**ked up part" - Carmelo Anthony slams Team USA's decision to snub Jaylen Brown
After being snubbed by Team USA, Boston Celtics star wing Jaylen Brown questioned the decision, alluding to Nike's involvement. According to former NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony, USA Basketball should have shown Brown more respect and been more straightforward about its intentions.
Brown missed the initial cut for Team USA's 12-man Paris Summer Olympics roster in April. However, he received another opportunity to make the team after LA Clippers superstar forward Kawhi Leonard withdrew due to injury concerns.
Fresh off leading Boston to this year's NBA title and winning NBA Finals MVP, many viewed Brown as a logical replacement. Instead, on July 10, USA Basketball chose Brown's Celtics teammate Derrick White. White is viewed as a high-level role player and glue guy. However, his qualifications pale in comparison to Brown's.
Following his snub, Brown reacted in apparent dismay on X/Twitter. He first tweeted three monocle emojis before calling out Nike, one of Team USA's biggest sponsors.
"Nike, this what we're doing?" Jaylen Brown said.
Brown has been critical of Nike in recent years, including questioning its ethics in a 2022 tweet. During the NBA Summer League on July 15, he confirmed his latest accusations against the company.
"I do for sure," Brown said when asked if Nike influenced Team USA's decision. "There will be more stuff to come with that. As of now, I’m not gonna comment on it."
On "Podcast P with Paul George" on Monday, Anthony weighed in on Brown's Team USA omission. According to the 10-time All-Star, USA Basketball should have been more respectful to Brown.
"I think he should've got a shot. For whatever reason it is, you can't make it that obvious," Anthony said. " ... How doesn't he get a shot at the USA team? You wanna tell me he doesn't fit the style of play? At least give him respect.
Anthony added that Team USA should have spoken directly with Brown about its plans to avoid creating controversy.
"If it's something that's personal, they don't like his aura, they don't like the way he thinks, give him the opportunity and say, 'You know, we're not gonna go with you, and here's why we're not gonna go with you,'" Anthony said.
"... Jaylen should have been spoken to. I hope somebody reached out to him to try to talk about it and figure this out because there's no way we can be having these basketball moments, and you get penalized for who you are. That's the f**ked up part."
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Jaylen Brown "wasn't surprised" by Team USA snub
While Jaylen Brown seemingly didn't appreciate being slighted by Team USA, he noted that he expected the decision. The three-time All-Star added that he was still happy to see his teammate Derrick White get the nod despite wanting to represent his country.
"I wasn’t surprised," Brown said on July 15. "But my reaction was that I was happy for him. It’s dope to have so [many] of our guys on there, so I was happy for those guys. But I wasn’t surprised."
Brown also highlighted his desire to move on and begin preparing to help Boston defend its title next season.
"For me, it’s back to ground one," Brown said. "My mindset is [the] championship is over now. Now, we gotta get back to work."
Also Read: Jaylen Brown shows love to Russell Westbrook after guard's farewell message to Clippers on Instagram