Celtics

Derrick White doesn’t have ‘any problem’ with Jaylen Brown following reaction to Olympic roster decision

"He’s a hell of a player and I’ve never had a bad thing to say about JB."

Derrick White holds no ill will toward Jaylen Brown for his reaction to USA Basketball's roster decision. Barry Chin/Globe Staff

Derrick White doesn’t harbor any hard feelings toward Jaylen Brown for his reaction when the Celtics guard was named to the United States men’s basketball team.

In an interview with The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, White shared that Brown reached out to him to clear the air after the Celtics star showed frustration about not being named to the Olympic roster.

“Jaylen gave me a call and I was like, ‘Yeah, you didn’t need to call me. I know we’re good,’” White told Himmelsbach. “He gave me a call and said he just wanted to clear things up and I told him we’re all good. Never any problem or issue with us, for sure. He’s a hell of a player and I’ve never had a bad thing to say about JB.”

When it was announced that White would replace Kawhi Leonard on Team USA earlier in July, Brown made multiple posts about the matter on X, formerly known as Twitter. First, Brown tweeted a trio of 🧐emojis, likely expressing confusion. A few hours later, he went after Nike in another post, believing that the sports apparel company prevented him from making the roster.

Advertisement:

@nike this what we doing ?” Brown wrote.

While some believed Brown was snubbed from the roster, others thought his reaction might have been over the top considering a teammate of his got the roster spot. Brown contacted White shortly after he made those posts on social media, he told reporters at Summer League.

“I called Derrick right away,” Brown said. “Just to make sure there’s no confusion, my love for you and all of that. He knew that, and he did. You don’t always gotta make everything public. Me and D-White are good.”

Even though Brown expressed confusion over White being named to the roster, it was reported during the NBA Finals that White could possibly replace Leonard if he was still injured.

White was also caught a bit off-guard when it was announced he would replace Leonard. He saw the Clippers star at Team USA’s camp when it opened in early July, believing that his opportunity to join the team was out the window. He previously told reporters that he booked a vacation to Cabo with his family during the Olympics as a result.

As White joined Team USA in Abu Dhabi during the exhibition series ahead of the Olympics, there still remains some contention over why Brown wasn’t picked for the roster. Brown insisted that Nike, who sponsors USA Basketball, played a role in his snub, likely due to previous comments he made about the company.

Advertisement:

“I do for sure,” Brown said in July. “There’ll be more stuff to come with that but as of now I’m not going to comment on it.”

USA Basketball director Grant Hill has denied that Nike has any say over roster choices. Hill explained on “The Dan Patrick Show” that picking White over Brown was just a matter of positional need, saying the team felt good about its forward situation after Bam Adebayo played power forward during practice.

“Let’s bring in someone who can really give us great defense at the point of attack,” Hill said of the decision to add White. “That was also a priority for putting this team together: Being able to pick up full court, guard, and pressure the point guard of opposing teams. Jrue Holiday might be the best in the world at doing this.

“But having some injuries we had during camp, what happens if Jrue gets hurt? Derrick White might be the second-best in the world at point-of-attack defense. That was sort of the thought process.”

Holiday isn’t the only Celtics teammate White will play alongside during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Jayson Tatum is also on the roster.

White enjoys Holiday’s and Tatum’s presence on the roster.

Advertisement:

“It’s always great to be on the same side with them and it’s good to see them again,” White told Himmelsbach. “They helped me when I got out here, helping me pick up the speed quicker. It’s always good to be with them.”