Nike taking a shot at Jaylen Brown proves their own incompetence

Over the summer, Jaylen Brown sent out a series of tweets after he was not named to the Team USA Olympic basketball roster. Even when Kawhi Leonard was removed, it was Derrick White who made the cut, not Brown. The most notable tweet was one he directed at Nike, effectively accusing them of conspiring to keep him off the roster.

Fast forward to the season and the Boston Celtics’ recent game against the Milwaukee Bucks, and the story has come full circle. During the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo got called for an offensive foul against Brown, as he caught him in the face with an elbow. As the two players jogged back down to the other end of the court, Antetokounmpo pulled a fast one on Brown.

The Greek Freak reached out for a high-five, but when Brown went to act on it, he pulled his hand back, cracking a smile.

Nike shouldn't pick a fight with Jaylen Brown

That’s where most of the viral videos ended, but in reality, there were no sinister intentions behind the act. Antetokounmpo gave Brown a real high-five right afterward.

After the game, Brown was asked about the incident, and he called Antetokounmpo a “child.” When Brown said it, he was smirking. It felt fairly obvious that there was no actual malintent behind Brown’s comment. If anything, it was just some playful banter—just like the play itself.

But when Antetokounmpo was presented with Brown’s comment, it made it seem as though Brown was taking a shot at him. Antretokounmpo was taken aback, even noting that Brown was laughing at his high-five gag in the moment.

Regardless, Nike saw this as an opportunity to take a subtle jab at Brown.

After Antetokounmpo’s 59-point game against the Detroit Pistons a few days later, Nike tweeted that there was nothing “childish” about him—a clear shot at Brown’s previous comment.

If this doesn’t prove Nike’s incompetence, nothing does.

First and foremost, their trying to defend Antetokounmpo in a tweet proves that they didn’t actually contextualize the incident between him and Brown.

There was nothing malicious about Antetokounmpo’s high-five antics, there was nothing malicious about Brown’s comment, and there doesn’t seem to be beef between the two sides. Antetokounmpo didn't need defending. So why try to pick a fight?

It would be one thing if Brown and Nike playfully disliked each other, but it’s pretty clear that Brown genuinely dislikes Nike and what they stand for. So why try to ignite a fight that could end badly for the company? That doesn’t seem to smart, considering Brown has threatened to release info on Nike in the past.

So, not only did Nike not fully understand the antics between Brown and Antetokounmpo, but they also may have started a fight that has a chance to end poorly for them.

The whole thing reeks of incompetence, even if it was just a social media intern who tweeted it.