It seems that Jaylen Brown used his rap debut to take shots at Nike, whom he has publicly criticized in recent months.
Last week, the Boston Celtics star released his single, “Just Do It.” The title, which features FERG, references Nike’s signature slogan. However, Brown does not appear to pay homage to the sports brand.
“‘Cause I’m the only one they wanna f*** with now, but they be hating on the low. But I done took the game and flipped it upside down, balling ain’t the only thing I know,” Brown rapped on the hook.
Many believe this is Brown’s way of slightly dissing the brand, which he previously blamed for keeping him off Team USA.
https://twitter.com/killac4ss/status/1826997886996930852
Nike is a significant apparel sponsor for several Team USA divisions, including basketball. Their branding is included on the team’s uniforms and marketing materials. Brown seemingly felt that Nike used its influence to blackball him from this year’s Olympic squad. In early July, Brown even mentioned the company on Twitter as the official roster was being announced, with his teammate Derrick White being selected for one of the final spots over Brown. Team USA basketball’s managing director, Grant Hill, maintained that Brown was excluded solely for sports reasons.
“@nike this what we doing?” Brown tweeted on July 10th.
Brown hasn’t publicly announced whether or not he’s dissing Nike, though as his music career continues to develop, it’s likely we could hear more of his feelings about the company.
