Jaylen Brown Reveals He Rejected Nike's $50 Million Deal To Not Compromise His Voice And Freedom
Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown is known for being a leader, both on and off the court. The 28-year-old is an outspoken individual. While this is admirable, it has been a trait that brands find particularly challenging to manage.
Brown's stance against signing deals with large brands is well known, especially with his publicized ongoing feud with Nike. Recently, however, the Celtics star revealed why he rejected a $50 million deal with the apparel giant to start his own brand on the "Big Tigger Morning Show". He said:
"You sign these contracts, you have these little catchphrases that be in there. Like, if you say anything controversial, or anything that disrupts our ecosystem of our company, we can terminate your deal, terminate your contract. So that kind of makes you not have a voice."
"So a lot of our celebrities and our athletes, they never speak up, they never say anything, because they risk whatever their contract is if they do. So I don't like compromising my voice for nothing and nobody. So I just told them I'd pass."
The host then asked Brown about his decision to alter his shoes by removing the brand logo and whether the feud with Nike had been dealt with since. The star admitted that there had been no resolution regarding his beef with Nike, but he added:
"At the time, nothing was working out just because of the way my brain was thinking. But I needed to wear shoes, and Nike had the best shoes in the market. But I wasn't signed to them, so I wasn't going to give no free advertisement."
To bypass this, Brown started wearing Kobe's. But due to the brand belonging to Nike, he needed to take the logo off, effectively resulting in him wearing "boneless Kobe's".
"Kobe's the reason why I started my brand now, my own sneaker brand, where I can come up with my own rules instead of having to follow somebody else's."
Brown's stance against the restraints placed upon athletes by brands has been viewed as inspiring. When considering the kind of treatment some players have had to endure, like Kyrie Irving's contract termination with Nike, the Celtics star makes a valid point about not wanting to compromise on his freedom of expression and opinion.
However, this decision has been costly for the 28-year-old in its own way. While giving up a significant sum of money is worth noting, his feud with Nike may have had more serious consequences, as it supposedly resulted in the star being snubbed from representing his country at official tournaments.
The back-and-forth between Brown and Nike has continued ever since, as both parties take shots at each other. Regardless, with the creation of his own brand, "741", whose products range from footwear to clothing, the 28-year-old has managed to maintain his integrity while also being successful in his professional endeavors.
Mavericks' dream Cooper Flagg lineup could already be doomed by one glaring flaw
As soon as the Dallas Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, fans salivated at the idea of trotting out a massive starting lineup that would include Flagg, D'Angelo Russell, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II to begin the season. This would be an incredible defensive lineup, as every member of this unit is an elite defender outside of Russell, but a weakness on the other end of the floor could hold it back from being as effective as fans think.
If Jason Kidd decided to roll with a similar unit, which he teased earlier this offseason, their shooting could drop off significantly. So much so that he may not get to use it often.
This unit already has two non-shooters with Lively II and Davis, and everyone around them would need to be consistent 3-point shooters to give them the spacing they need to operate down low while also keeping the defense honest.
Wing shooting will decide the fate of Mavericks' jumbo lineup
Washington had an excellent season from downtown last season as he shot 38.1 percent from three, but it can't be expected that he can replicate this dominance out of the gates next season. It would be massive for Dallas if he can, as he shot 31.4 percent from beyond the arc during his first season as a Maverick, and another dominant year from downtown would prove that the mechanical tweak that he made to his jumper last offseason has paid off significantly.
Washington would be playing small forward if Kidd uses this lineup, which he has barely done over the course of his six-year career, and this would quietly be a major change for him. He would need to take advantage of the open looks that are created for him, and we could even see his 3-point volume go up from the 4.2 threes per game he shot last season (second lowest mark of his career).
With Washington set to play the three in this unit, Flagg would be forced to play shooting guard.
Flagg's 3-point shooting at the NBA level may be a work in progress, as it remains unknown if he can keep up his solid shooting numbers from Duke, and the potential success of this unit could heavily rely on his shooting.
If Flagg can't turn into an above-average shooter, the performance of this unit would likely plummet, considering that he would be the two guard of this group, and Kidd will quickly know if he can use these jumbo lineups frequently by how they shoot threes. Having solid shooting is essential in today's NBA, and they must have good 3-point shooters around Davis and Lively II or Daniel Gafford if they want these double-big lineups to work.
At the point guard spot, whether it's Russell running the show or Kyrie Irving once he returns from his ACL tear, the Mavericks should be in good hands when it comes to shooting. Russell is a career 36.5-percent 3-point shooter, while Irving is a 39.4-percent 3-point shooter, and both players would have to be effective shooters from beyond the arc in order for this lineup to succeed.
Since Davis (a few per game) and Lively II or Gafford (rarely) aren't known for shooting threes and mostly operate inside (or in the mid-range for Davis), nearly everyone around them needs to be a good shooter for the spacing to stay good.
Mavericks fans saw just how quickly things can go south last season when Dallas' shooting hit rock bottom at the end of the year (even though they were battling injuries across the board), and they must trend in the right direction in this area to emerge as true contenders in the Western Conference.
Defense was never going to be a problem with this group, but Mavericks fans must keep a close eye on the team's 3-point shooting to gauge how practical using this lineup is. It won't be a shock to anyone if Kidd at least tries this huge lineup, as it would strike fear into their opponent's eyes thanks to the defensive versatility and size it has, but the shooting on the wing around Davis and Lively II is what it'll really come down to.
If the threes don't fall, the Mavericks' mammoth lineup may remain nothing more than a dream.
