Even years on, the Jaylen Brown Olympics debate still rages. This time, it's former Team USA managing director Grant Hill speaking about star Jaylen Brown being snubbed, and it has nothing to do with one of the team's sponsors, Nike.

Hall of Famer Hill appeared on the Road Trippin' Show at Fanatics Fest and gave his thoughts on Brown not being part of the 2024 gold medal-winning team, with fans saying that he was influenced by Nike and made his decision.

"You can criticize the ability to put together a roster," Hill admitted. "When you’re in a role that I’m in, you open yourself up to criticism, and I accept that. But to imply that, like, a shoe company told me what to do. Now you're questioning my character, and that was the thing that was weird."

The decision goes back to when Team USA needed a replacement for an injured Kawhi Leonard on the Olympic team. At the time, Brown was coming off a Finals MVP and NBA Championship. Brown was coming off a 23.9 points per game performance in the playoffs.

Instead, Hill chose Derrick White, Brown's Celtics teammate—a decision that sparked immediate backlash. White played well in the playoffs, but only managed 16.7 points per game, making the choice confusing for fans.

At the time, discussions around the news pointed towards Brown's sour relationship with Nike. When Brown wasn't selected, he posted on X, tagging Nike, stating, "This what we doing?"

Hill pushed back immediately: Nike had nothing to do with it. In fact, the roster included athletes from four different shoe companies: Anthony Edwards (Adidas), Stephen Curry (Under Armour), Joel Embiid (Skechers) and Leonard (New Balance).

"You get 12 spots, and you have to build a team," Hill said. "And one of the hardest things is leaving people off the roster that I'm a fan of that I look forward to watching throughout the season, throughout the playoffs."

Later, Hill revealed he had contacted the likes of Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, as well as Jaylen Brown before announcing the replacement, but it didn't materialize in a spot.

The 2028 question: will Brown get another chance?

At the time, Brown wasn't just snubbed for the Olympics team. Despite one of his best seasons offensively and defensively, he missed out on the All-Defensive and All-NBA honors.

Brown had made it clear that he was using it as fuel. He told NBC reporters, "As a competitor, you're always looking for any key identifiers that could help you be motivated, stay motivated, and add to that chip on your shoulder. I'm that type of guy already. I'm always looking for something. But when things don't go your way or when those voices get louder, it makes you wake up even more to drive and be better."

Coming to the 2028 Olympics, will Brown make it to the Olympic team? While the answer is still a little while away, there's one thing the 76ers star has made clear. He won't sign with Nike if that is what it takes for him to play at the Olympics.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar