Enes Kanter Freedom Sheds Light On How Nike Might Have Played A Part In Jaylen Brown's Olympic Snub
Enes Kanter Says Jaylen Brown Didn't Make The Team Due To His Criticism Of Nike
Enes Kanter Freedom went on "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" on Friday to discuss why Team USA elected to keep Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown off its roster…twice.
Of all the roster moves Team USA made, this was the most confusing. Brown won both the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP awards, and averaged over 24 PPG in the regular season. And yet, even after Kawhi Leonard removed himself from the team, Brown still didn’t get a spot.
Freedom thinks that Nike, one of the biggest sponsors for America’s Olympic teams, had something to do with this decision.
In the past, Brown criticized Nike for nixing its shoe deal with Kyrie Irving after Irving posted an antisemitic film on his X account. Brown found this hypocritical, since Nike is in deep with the CCP and has helped silence the voices of those who criticized the Uyghur genocide (like Kanter).
"Around a year ago, he was questioning Nike, and I think that really pissed off the company," Kanter said.
Brown for his part has called out Nike on his own X page, because he also thinks the sports apparel giant has something to do with his snub.
Of course, this is all speculation at the moment with no hard evidence. As such, Dakick asked Freedom, an 11-year NBA veteran, if he thought it even possible if Nike has that kind of power over USA basketball.
Read: Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Goes After Nike For Team USA Snub
Freedom quickly responded in the affirmative.
"I know how Nike operates. I promise you, they operate just like the mafia. If you go against your agenda, they’re going to do everything they can to silence you," Freedom said.
He also implored Brown to take a stronger stand in defending himself, and implored other NBA stars to speak out against Nike.
Enes Kanter Says Nike Operates Like The Mafia
"I think it's time for Jaylen Brown to actually man up and stand up for himself. If you're watching this man, stop posting emojis on twitter and stand for yourself. Before you know it, you’ll be retiring and regretting the things you didn’t speak up about," Freedom said.
"I think one or two other players need to come out and say, ‘Enough is enough, we gotta hold them accountable,’" Freedom concluded.