The 2024 men’s Olympic basketball team has been incredibly fun to watch. The team is loaded with talent, boasting the likes of Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, and so many other NBA All-Stars. However, the team also hasn’t been without controversy. No, I’m not talking about how the rest of the world is getting better at basketball. I’m talking about certain NBA players being left off the team, and how much influence certain sponsors have over the team as a whole. There’s been a lot of speculation on this subject, and so I want to reveal the truth about Team USA: are these theories fact, or fraud?
Fact or Fraud: The Truth About Team USA
The Facts
Let’s first look at the basic facts, with no spin or story on them.
- Kawhi Leonard is not on Team USA
- Leonard originally made Team USA’s roster, only to later withdraw
- His replacement was Derrick White
- Jaylen Brown thought he should have been Leonard’s replacement
Those are the four basic facts of this situation. However, there are four additional facts that make this a more interesting story:
- Nike is a big sponsor of Team USA
- Kawhi Leonard is a New Balance athlete, not a Nike
- Jaylen Brown is not a Nike athlete (used to wear Adidas) and has issues presently with the brand
- Derrick White has a deal with Nike
When these four facts are added to the first four, it adds a far different narrative to a seemingly uncomplicated selection process.
Brown’s History with Nike
This isn’t the first time Brown has sparred with Nike. Their history goes back years, with Brown covering the signature logo on shoes when he wears them in games. In 2022, when Kyrie Irving shared the link to an anti-Semitic film and Nike cut ties with him, Brown responded by tweeting:
Since when did Nike care about ethics? https://t.co/f8t2eY994v
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) November 10, 2022
So, we’ve established Brown and Nike aren’t on good terms. When Brown was not selected for this Olympics’ Team USA, he tweeted the following.
@nike this what we doing?
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024
When Grant Hill dismissed Brown’s claims and called him a conspiracy theorist, Brown didn’t let it go easily. He called into the fact that he’d been an NBPA VP since he was 21 years old, knew his stuff, and that he’s “not afraid of you or your resources.” With most players, this would just sound like unhinged jealousy, but it’s different with Brown.
Brown is one of the smartest players off the court in the NBA. He chose California over blue bloods like Duke and Kentucky for college because they had better academics. He took a masters-level course in Berkeley’s Cultural Studies of Sport in Education as a freshman, is fluent in Spanish, loves chess, and finished top of his class in high school before California. Brown also became the youngest person to ever lecture at Harvard, has a fellowship with MIT’s Media Lab, and was offered an internship by NASA. And, as he previously mentioned, he’s the youngest player to ever be a VP for the NBPA. His brain is just as crazy as his athleticism. In fact, one GM worried he was “too smart” for the NBA before the 2016 draft.
The Truth About Team USA
Leonard’s departure from Team USA left people with plenty of questions. Apparently, Leonard was asked to leave because of concerns about his right knee, which had just been surgically repaired. People didn’t like the way he was moving, and worried about his chances for further injury. USA Basketball implied that the decision was made by both Team USA officials and Clippers management. However, the Clippers soon responded, saying that they had nothing to do with his departure and wanted him to stay. The inconsistent messages just kept adding to the confusion.
Because of Leonard’s circumstances for departure and Brown’s intelligence, his claims have to be taken a little more seriously. While this all could be speculation, the little signs add up to his larger points.
Team USA’s roster consists of Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White. Of that team, only Curry, Edwards, and Embiid aren’t Nike athletes.
From Brown’s perspective, that could make sense. Team USA couldn’t credibly leave a four-time champion, two-time MVP, and the league’s brightest star off of Team USA. At the same time, even though Brown’s resume isn’t as extensive, he’s one of the best players in the NBA, coming off his first championship and the 2024 Finals MVP.
The Logic Behind Team USA’s Decision
If you ask Grant Hill and Team USA why they made this decision, it’s quite simple. The goal of Team USA is to make the best American basketball team in the world. This doesn’t necessarily mean taking the top 12 American basketball players and putting them on one team; rather it means having the most complete, cohesive team possible. It’s why they picked White: he’s a very good defensive player off the bench, knocks down threes at a high clip, and won’t mind riding the bench behind the other stars. If he doesn’t get to play, his feelings won’t get hurt; he’s just happy to be there.
When I thought about this way at first, it made perfect sense to me. But then I thought a little bit deeper. Not wanting Team USA to have too much star power is understandable…but Leonard had already been picked for the team. He’s had his issues with injuries, but you can’t deny that the 2019 Finals MVP is a superstar when healthy. In theory, it would make sense to replace Leonard with someone whose game mirrored his. Brown’s play style, size, and build are far more similar to Leonard’s than Derrick White’s. Besides, Team USA already has someone in the tough-minded, defensive guard role: Jrue Holiday. Was White really the right pick?
Conclusion
Unfortunately, despite valid arguments from both sides, the truth about Team USA isn’t clear. Brown makes a compelling argument, and there’s a lot backing his story. Many things aren’t adding up, such as why Leonard really left, and why a solid defensive guard replaced him instead of a 6’6″ forward who just won Finals MVP. There isn’t any evidence that Nike picks who is on the Olympic team, but there is evidence that shoe brand politics have played into past Olympic games. Most notably in 1992, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Magic Johnson all covered up the Reebok (Team USA sponsor at the time) logo on the American flag, because they wore rival shoe brands. It would be naive to say Nike doesn’t have some say in how things are done at Team USA.
