"There's gonna be controversy" - Grant Hill remains unfazed by Jaylen Brown snub on Team USA, deems him future Olympian
USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill remains unfazed by the controversy surrounding Jaylen Brown’s omission from Team USA, acknowledging that his role is inherently controversial due to the abundance of talent available for the Paris Olympics.
In an interview with Rachel Nichols on the “Open Run” show, Hill explained that he anticipated some younger players would be snubbed, understanding it as part of the job.
When Kawhi Leonard was sidelined and Jaylen Brown, the Finals MVP for the Boston Celtics, was not chosen as his replacement, Brown took to social media to express his frustration. Instead, his teammate Derrick White was selected.
“It’s been a learning experience,” Hill said about assembling Team USA. “When you have a team with the profile of players on this team, you know there's going to be controversy. I knew that coming in.”
Hill explained that the choice to select White over Jaylen Brown was based on team composition and strategy, not external factors like Brown's criticisms of Nike.
“It was disappointing, but you gotta do your job the best you can. I've tried to do this the right way,” he said.
The final Team USA roster included LeBron James and Anthony Davis from the LA Lakers, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker from the Phoenix Suns, Bam Adebayo from the Miami Heat, Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors, Anthony Edwards from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Joel Embiid from the Philadelphia 76ers, Tyrese Haliburton from the Indiana Pacers and Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White from the Boston Celtics.
Hill also mentioned he is not ruling out Brown as a future member of the Olympic team.
“One thing I've learned is you can't take anything personal in this role. I haven't personalized anything. My goal, my objective, is to win. As soon as that happens, we pivot and start looking ahead to the future.”
Grant Hill reveals he called Jaylen Brown, other NBA players before announcing Team USA roster
In the same interview, Hill disclosed that he personally called some high-profile NBA players, including Jaylen Brown, before the official roster announcement to explain the difficult selection process.
“When we first put out the roster back in April, before it was announced, I called certain guys. I called Paul George, I called Damian Lillard, I called Jaylen Brown. I felt like they were of a certain stature where they deserved to hear it before it was made public,” Hill explained.
“I appreciated their willingness to want to be a part of this but also wanted them to appreciate just how difficult this was. To me, that was meeting with integrity, doing the right thing, and recognizing who they are and what they've meant to USA Basketball in years past.”
Team USA remains undefeated in the Olympics, including pre-Olympic exhibitions, and is two wins away from securing the gold medal.