A third Boston Celtics player was added to the Team USA roster on Wednesday, but it is fair to wonder if Jaylen Brown feels the wrong one was chosen.
Kawhi Leonard, who has battled knee injuries for years, withdrew from Team USA on Wednesday to instead focus on the upcoming NBA season. With Leonard not taking part in the Paris Olympics, USA Basketball announced that Celtics guard Derrick White has taken Kawhi’s place.
At around the same time all this news broke, Brown shared a cryptic post on X featuring three monocle emojis.
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024
The monocle emoji is typically used when a person is showing that they are puzzled or disagree with something. Naturally, fans speculated that Brown felt disrespected when Team USA chose White over him as a replacement for Leonard.
You were the Finals MVP and still can’t get respect. Time to lead your own team
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) July 10, 2024
Imagine winning conference & finals mvp just to have your teammate selected over you, crazy crazy business.
— Ran (@FlashRan6) July 10, 2024
U won FMVP and Tatum still got a 2k cover and D White took ya olympic spot ik u gotta be heated
— ᴅ ʀ ᴇ ᴡ (@FeelLikeDrew) July 10, 2024
Jaylen Brown should feel disrespected, no doubt about it.
— just1n (@just1nvest) July 10, 2024
Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday are also on the Team USA roster. It was Brown, however, who was arguably Boston’s best player during the postseason and was named NBA Finals MVP after the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks.
Brown averaged 23.0 points per game during the regular season and 23.9 during the playoffs. He was also outstanding defensively against Luka Doncic in the NBA Finals. You can understand why he feels he deserves a Team USA spot over White.
Of course, Team USA is not just an All-Star team. It is possible Brown is not viewed as a good fit, which would undoubtedly give Stephen A. Smith more ammunition to use against the Celtics star.
