Grant Hill open to selecting Jaylen Brown for 2028 team: 'You can't take anything personal in this role'
Basketball Hall of Famer and Team USA men’s hoops managing director Grant Hill, who Brown criticized after being snubbed, spoke about the matter on All The Smoke’s Open Run with Rachel Nichols. “I’m confident he and I will sit down at some point and talk about it and get to some level of understanding,” Hill said. “Look, he’ll be a candidate if he wants in ’28…” Nichols then asked if he would welcome him on the team when the Summer Games move to L.A. “Oh yeah,” Hill said. “One thing I’ve learned. You can’t take anything personal in this role. And so, I haven’t personalized anything. My goal, my objective is to win. As soon as hopefully that happens, we pivot and start looking ahead to the future.”
Source: Bleacher Report
Source: Bleacher Report
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Joe Vardon @joevardon
Grant Hill, USA executives pose to overload this team with talent in case LeBron, KD, and Steph weren’t ready. Instead, LeBron has been ‘best’ for the Americans, @TheAthleticNBA nytimes.com/athletic/56869… – 3:00 PM
Grant Hill, USA executives pose to overload this team with talent in case LeBron, KD, and Steph weren’t ready. Instead, LeBron has been ‘best’ for the Americans, @TheAthleticNBA nytimes.com/athletic/56869… – 3:00 PM
Joe Vardon @joevardon
Grant Hill had a big worry while building Team USA like this. Would LeBron James hold up? @TheAthleticNBA nytimes.com/athletic/56869… – 2:13 PM
Grant Hill had a big worry while building Team USA like this. Would LeBron James hold up? @TheAthleticNBA nytimes.com/athletic/56869… – 2:13 PM
More on this storyline
“Why aren’t you on the USA team this year? PAUL GEORGE: Yeah, they came to me, right? Steve Kerr, after we played the Warriors in LA, came to me like, ‘You got any interest in being on Team USA?’ Yeah, I want to play, so I’m thinking I’m in. I think I’m a part of that group. I’m seeing it on the ground; they get the jersey, they get the jersey. I’m like, ‘Where’s my post? When are they going to hit me?’ It just so happened I ran into Grant Hill, I think during the playoffs in Dallas. ‘Yeah man, didn’t happen this year.’ So I understood it. Obviously, I ain’t going to be sour about it, but at the same time, it was like, damn, I was looking forward to representing the USA and being a part of that team.” -via YouTube / July 31, 2024
Flagg, the consensus top recruit in the class of 2024, recently scrimmaged with the USA Basketball select team against the senior roster ahead of the Olympics. He was the first collegian to participate with the select team since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart in 2013. He went viral after some highlights surfaced on social media and earned high praise from Kevin Durant. The showing by Flagg also impressed Hill, the managing director of USA Basketball. “I think he is great,” Hill said on the “Dan Patrick Show” on Friday. “He’ll be a great college player. I think his game may even resonate and translate better on the NBA stage. He is young. He is 17, so he is still learning. Sometimes when you’re young, you have no fear. You don’t even know you’re supposed to be scared. But he has all of the tools. He has got the mental make up, too. He has some nasty in him. He isn’t afraid.” -via The Rookie Wire / July 30, 2024
Jaylen Brown: grant hill calling me a conspiracy theorist is disappointing I’ve been a VP since I was 21 years old I have a great understanding -via x.com / July 28, 2024
Rashad McCants: “What’s [Derrick White’s] reason for being on [Team USA]?” Josiah Johnson: “Defense.” Gilbert Arenas: “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard… So Jaylen Brown don’t play defense?… [Jarred Vanderbilt plays defense].” 👀 -via x.com / August 8, 2024
Jaylen Brown, obviously he had a big year, unbelievable year. Finals MVP, helped you guys get to Banner 18, but he’s left off Team USA. How did you feel about that? Did you feel any type of way of him voicing his opinion? PEYTON PRITCHARD: I know certain people are like it’s undercutting his teammate, but I was kind of like hey man, let him speak his peace. I think, yeah, let him speak. I don’t think Derek felt any type of way at all. I think we’re all brothers at the end of the day. When I saw it, not even having the consideration of putting him on was confusing to me. I think Jaylen is a top-level player. He fits everything they need. He can defend, play any role, and I think Jaylen would accept that. People sometimes have this version of him that he’s a difficult teammate or difficult dude, which is not the case at all. I love Jaylen to death and I got so much respect for him and the type of person he is.” -via YouTube / August 7, 2024
Lakers Video: Jaylen Brown Puts Kobe Bryant & LeBron James In All-Time Starting 5 -via Lakers Nation / August 6, 2024