Nike & Team USA’s Controversy Thickens As Jaylen Brown Reveals Honest Reaction To Paris Olympics Snub

Ever since Kawhi Leonard withdrew his name from Team USA and canceled his trip to the Paris Olympics, the decision has caused a butterfly effect and opened a whole new can of worms. With Derrick White replacing Kawhi on the roster, his teammate Jaylen Brown, who many believed was snubbed, indirectly accused Nike of influencing USA Basketball’s decision. And as Clippers President Lawrence Frank thickened the plot by claiming that they did not have anything to do with Kawhi’s exit, Brown’s latest confession about the snub has added more fuel to the Nike controversy.

Although Brown was not picked to replace Kawhi on the Olympics squad, he was happy that his teammate got that spot and he even admitted to calling Derrick White right after his selection was announced to congratulate him. However, Brown did reveal that his being left off the roster did not come as a surprise to him, as he was already expecting it.

And when asked if he thought Nike had anything to do with that, he claimed, “I do for sure. There will be more stuff to come with that. As of now, I’m not gonna comment on it.”

With his shocking statement, this is the second time JB has called out the sneaker giants as he also tweeted right after the snub, “@nike this what we doing?” Although Brown has been a sneaker-free agent for the last three years after spending the first five years of his career signed with Adidas, he does have a controversial past with Nike.

Just two years ago, in support of his former teammate Kyrie Irving, JB questioned Nike’s ethics through a tweet when they cut all ties with Kyrie because of his alleged antisemitic remarks. Moreover, with Brown hinting in his latest statement that he might soon expose more details about Nike’s involvement in his snub, the basketball world has their popcorn ready, eagerly waiting on Brown’s next move.

Does Kawhi Leonard’s controversial exit prove Jaylen Brown’s claim?

At this point, it has become clear who Jaylen Brown blames for him not being able to play in the Paris Olympics. But earlier today, Clippers President Lawrence Frank also made a shocking revelation hinting at a possible controversy unfolding in the USA Basketball camp.

While USA B’s initial statement claimed that Kawhi withdrew from the Olympics squad after the Clippers and Team USA mutually determined that it would be the best move for him considering his injury concerns, Frank denied any involvement in that decision. “It was USA B’s call, and I was quite frankly very disappointed with the decision. Kawhi wanted to play, we wanted him to play. I was there the first two practices. He looked very good. Was a full participant in everything that they did”, he said in the presser.

That means either Lawrence or USA Basketball is lying. But this contrast in statement has added more fuel to the rumors about Nike being involved in USA Basketball’s decisions as Kawhi and Nike were involved in a legal battle five years ago over the copyright ownership of the ‘Klaw’ logo.

Although it could be a mere coincidence, the two players either replaced or snubbed from the team having prior issues with the sneaker giants does raise many eyebrows. Do you believe Nike was involved in Jaylen Brown’s snub and Kawhi Leonard’s exit from Team USA?