Inside The Nets

Jaylen Brown Blasts Nike After Kyrie Irving Statement

Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown once again defense Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving
© Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

In a statement from Nike, it was made clear that they are unlikely to work with Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving again.

Nike co-founder Phil Knight stated in an interview with CNBC that "Kyrie stepped over the line. It's kinda that simple. He made some statements that we just can't abide by, and that's where we ended the relationship. I was fine with that."

Knight continued, saying, "We look very hard at who we sign and how much we pay. We look not only how good the athlete is, but what his or her character are. It's not an exact science, but it's a process that we go through with a lot of intensity and a lot of people sticking their head in it. It goes all the way to the CEO, because some of the numbers they paid are pretty big."

Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown believes these comments are hypocritical, posting a Tweet on Thursday afternoon that questioned when Nike began caring about ethics.

This is not the first time that Brown has defended Irving amidst this latest controversy, recently stating in an interview with Boston Globe Sports that "He made a mistake. He posted something. There was no distinction. Maybe we can move forward, but the terms in which he has to fulfill to return, I think not just speaking for me, speaking as a vice president from a lot of our players, we didn’t agree with the terms that was required for him to come back... The terms for his return, they seem like a lot and a lot of the players expressed discomfort with the terms."

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn32@sbcglobal.net Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis, insight, and reporting Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Receiving a media credential during the 2021-22 season, Joey has experience interviewing NBA players, and developing exclusive stories from these interviews. Having appeared on several different NBA podcasts over the last four seasons, Joey is now hosting his own podcast for The Sporting Tribune. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Now graduated, Joey is covering the NBA full-time across multiple platforms. Credentialed by the Clippers, Joey covers the team daily with articles, podcasts, and video breakdowns on YouTube. With four years of sports media experience, Joey provides expert insight and analysis for NBA fans across the league.

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