Grant Hill reveals the truth behind Jaylen Brown’s Team USA snub
Two years later, Grant Hill has revisited Jaylen Brown’s omission from Team USA, rejecting claims that Nike influenced the final roster decision
A third career All-Star selection, a breakout postseason, and an NBA championship capped by Finals MVP honors all seemed to make Jaylen Brown a lock for Team USA’s Olympic squad in Paris. Instead, the only Boston Celtics players to make the roster were Jayson Tatum and Derrick White.
Contrary to what many people believe, I actually like Jaylen Brown a lot. I love his game, and the situation with that team became complicated. To give some context, when we put the roster together, we had Kawhi Leonard penciled in, but he got injured at the end of the 2024 season. He came to training camp, wasn’t fully healthy, so we had to change our plans
At the time, several insiders pointed to what appeared to be a logical explanation for Brown’s omission: his past criticism of Nike, the official sponsor of USA Basketball.
Jrue Holiday was incredibly important for us at the FIBA World Cup. He’s a point guard who understands his role perfectly, applies pressure on the ball, and does all the little things. If Jrue had gotten injured, our only remaining point guards would have been Tyrese Haliburton and Stephen Curry, and defense isn’t exactly their strongest attribute
But in recent days, Grant Hill, who still serves as Team USA’s general manager, dismissed that widely circulated narrative during an appearance on the Road Trippin Show podcast.
So we thought: ‘Let’s bring in some insurance for Jrue Holiday,’ and that choice ended up being Derrick White. That was the thought process behind the decision
After emphasizing that Brown’s relationship with the shoe company had absolutely no bearing on the decision, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist acknowledged his own responsibility for the tension that emerged during his phone call with the new Philadelphia 76ers star.
When I announced the roster, I personally called some players before Woj and Shams broke the news. I called Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, and tried to reach out to everyone, because you never know when the news is going to come out. I wanted to give the players the respect of hearing it directly from me
Grant Hill
Hill then explained how the conversation with Brown unfolded.
I called Jaylen and we had an incredible conversation, a truly great one. Obviously, something got lost along the way. You can criticize my leadership or my ability to build a roster, that comes with the territory
Grant Hill
Hill also reflected on the scrutiny that comes with leading Team USA.
When you’re in a position like mine, you have to accept criticism, and I can handle that. But to suggest that a shoe company told me what to do means questioning my integrity, and that was wrong
Grant Hill
While some analysts viewed Team USA’s triumphant run in France as the end of an era, the desire to bring the FIBA World Cup back to the United States after consecutive disappointments could delay a full generational transition.
Regardless of what happens around the program, the feeling is that Grant Hill may give Jaylen Brown another call next summer. The former Celtics star appears to be an ideal fit to bridge the gap between established veterans and the next generation of rising talent.