Nike appeared to troll Jaylen Brown with ‘childish’ tweet about Giannis Antetokounmpo
The subtle reference is the latest episode in the ongoing feud.
The simmering feud between Jaylen Brown and Nike appears to have flared up again thanks to a social media post from the apparel and footwear giant.
After Brown called Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo “childish” following a recent matchup between Boston and Milwaukee in which the Greek All-Star faked a handshake before pulling his arm away, Nike conspicuously referenced the word choice on Thursday morning.
When Antetokounmpo posted a remarkable 59 points in a Bucks win over the Pistons, the official Nike account on Twitter declared, “Nothing childish about ‘em. 59 for the Greek freak.”
Antetokounmpo currently has a deal with Nike, likely leading to the brand’s public support.
As for Brown, he his issues with Nike trace back several years. In 2022, he publicly questioned the company’s ethics after it cut ties with Kyrie Irving.
In 2024, fresh off a championship, Brown was conspicuously left off the Team USA basketball roster for the Paris Olympics. He implied multiple times that he felt that not being a Nike client had influenced the decision to leave him off the roster (a theory which USA basketball director Grant Hill has denied).
Brown’s not-so-subtle digs at Nike continued, as he released a new song titled, “Just Do It” (referencing Nike’s longtime slogan). A line in a fake newsreel at the beginning of the music video references Brown’s “ongoing conflict with Nike.”
Though he continued to wear Nikes for several years following the expiration of his deal in 2021, Brown now wears his own custom shoe model.
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