While Team USA is only two wins away from winning a Gold medal in Paris, many still cannot get past the drama that transpired in the selection process. Kawhi Leonard withdrawing his candidature opened a whole new can of worms with the USABMNT officials selecting Derrick White in his stead. This was a literal blow in the Finals MVP Jaylen Brown‘s authority and career. Of course, the Managing Director of USA Basketball had to open up, since he too faced the heat for his decision. So, he decided finally to talk about the difficult phone call he had to make to the NBA star before announcing the official Paris Olympics roster.

Hill defended himself. “It was disappointing, but you gotta do your job. You gotta do the job the best you can. I have tried to do this the right way,” he said. Then, Hill revealed that Jaylen Brown and other notable stars were already informed about the final decision.

“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.”

While Brown and Hill have not publicly seen eye to eye since the snub, the Managing Director claimed their conversation over the phone went fairly well. “I appreciated their willingness to wanna be a part of this, but also wanted them to appreciate how difficult it was,” he said on Open Run.

Although Brown was considered the biggest snub this year, Paul George recently revealed that he too hoped to make the cut for Team USA.

After a game against the Warriors, Steve Kerr reportedly asked PG if he was interested in joining the team. “Yeah, I want to play, so I’m thinking I’m in. I think I’m a part of that group.” PG said on Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn pod.

Unlike Brown, PG has already represented Team USA in the 2016 Rio Olympics as he averaged 11.3 points and 4.5 rebounds and led the hoopers to a gold medal. However, he revealed that it was after running into Grant Hill in the NBA Finals that he found out he wouldn’t get a chance to do the same in Paris.

“So, I understood it. Obviously, I ain’t going to be sour about it, but at the same time, it was like, damn, I was looking forward to representing the USA and being a part of that team,” PG remarked. Similarly, many could argue that Dame also deserved a spot as he too helped Team USA win Gold in Tokyo after averaging 11.2 points and over 3 assists in the tournament. While PG and Dame didn’t take the snub personally, the same, however, cannot be said for Jaylen Brown, as judged by his actions on social media that followed.

Grant Hill has left the door open for Jaylen Brown

Soon after getting snubbed, JB publicly blamed Nike for the situation because of his tarnished relationship with the sneaker giants. Denying that theory in an interview, Grant Hill said, “I think this idea that there’s a conspiracy theory… I always love a good conspiracy theory, but it was really truly a basketball decision and these are tough decisions.”

Obviously, Brown didn’t appreciate the disrespect from Hill and called him out on X.

“Grant Hill calling me a conspiracy theorist is disappointing I’ve been a VP since I was 21 years old. I have a great understanding.” As expected, these interactions make it seem like their relationship has been damaged far beyond repair.

However, Hill revealed on Rachel Nichol’s show that he is open to burying the hatchet with the Celtics star. “It was a lot of noise. I’m confident he and I will sit down at some point and talk about it and get to some level of understanding,” he said assuringly.

More importantly, even though Jaylen Brown did not make the cut this year despite winning Finals MVP, Grant sees him representing the USA in the future, “He will be a candidate if he wants in ’28.”

With the next Olympics scheduled to happen in LA, many veteran superstars on the current team like LeBron James, KD, and Steph Curry would’ve hung their boots by then. And that might be Jaylen’s opportunity to book a spot on the roster alongside his running mate, Jayson Tatum, and other young superstars.

As far as the controversy goes, Grant Hill wants to keep things professional. “One thing I have learned, you can’t take anything personal in this role.”

Do you think Jaylen Brown should play in the 2028 Olympics after the disrespect he faced this year?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger