Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Enters New Season Fueled By Olympic Snub

BOSTON -- The question about Jaylen Brown being snubbed from Team USA's Olympic roster was bound to come up at Celtics media day on Tuesday.

The Celtics star just didn't expect it to come immediately after he sat down at the podium at the Auerbach Center.

"God damn, question No. 1," Brown said with a laugh. "Do I get to warm up a little? (Expletive)."

Brown hasn't tried to hide his feelings over the matter that occurred this summer, calling out USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill and Team USA's affiliation with Nike.

Brown wasn't on Team USA's initial roster, but seemed like the go-to choice when the squad needed a replacement for the injured Kawhi Leonard. But instead of tabbing Brown, who had just come off winning NBA Finals MVP, Team USA decided to select Celtics teammate Derrick White to take Leonard's spot on the roster.

It certainly was a blow to Brown, but also provided him with an ample amount of motivation to take into this season.

"I'm ready to go. I'm excited about being back," Brown said. "The past is the past, but I'm ready to get after it, lead our guys, build some team chemistry, not skip any steps and just set the tone for another year. I'm extremely motivated for obvious reasons. I'm ready to get after it.''

Arming Brown with this extra fuel is a scary thought given what he's already accomplished during his eight seasons in the league. The 28-year-old is a three-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the 2022-23 season. Throw in the two postseason accolades he won last season over Jayson Tatum and it's quite the résumé.

Brown, who averaged 23 points on a career-high 49.9% shooting to go along with 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season, has always played his best when he felt slighted, which has happened a few times for him in a Celtics jersey. There were the trade rumors involving Brown and Kevin Durant two years ago and Brown even received some jeers from Celtics fans when the franchise selected him third overall in 2016.

But Brown knows how to turn what can be negative situations into a positive for himself and the Celtics and he will look to do the same after having to watch from home while his NBA counterparts won a gold medal.

"I had to experience a lot of adversity through life, through this organization, through my journey, a lot of people, a lot of doubts. A lot of ins and outs to get to where I'm at and I'm grateful. I wouldn't exchange it for anything," Brown said. "Even in those moments of doubt or those moments where I heard boos or people wanted me gone or didn't think I deserved what I got, that kind of ultimately made me who I was."