"Not afraid of you or your resources"- Jaylen Brown responds to Stephen A. Smith for doubling down on 'marketable superstar' take

Jaylen Brown once again went after veteran ESPanalyst Stephen A. Smith in the wake of his snub for Team USA. The Boston Celtics star is coming off a terrific season where he earned Eastern Conference finals MVP and Finals MVP honors, leading the Greens to their 18th NBA championship.

Even after recording such a notable season, Brown wasn't considered to take a spot on Team USA for the upcoming Paris Olympics. When Kawhi Leonard dropped off the team, Brown's teammate Derrick White was selected as the replacement for the two-time NBA champion.

Stephen A. Smith took to Twitter to remind people that he previously explained why Jaylen Brown wasn't more marketed, even noting that being an NBA champion and Finals MVP didn't get Brown a spot on the team.

"Do y’all believe me now? Yo @FCHWPO, do I need to reveal my sources now? Is it not obvious now? How in the hell is a $300M man — now a champion and an NBA Finals MVP— who’s clearly a top-two player on the @celtics and a Top-15 player in the world, NOT chosen for Team-USA? B/c his teammate NOT named Tatum is selected before him? Come on y’all!!!" Smith wrote last night on X, formerly known as X.

The Celtics star took to X too and fired back at Smith, telling him he wasn't afraid of his resources.

"Im not afraid of you or your resources," Brown posted today.

What did Stephen A. Smith say about Jaylen Brown?

Back in May, Stephen A. Smith read a text on live TV about why Jaylen Brown wasn't liked around the NBA. According to the ESPN journalist, Brown's personality played a role in the bad reputation he allegedly has.

"I wanted to read to y’all what an NBA source just sent me,” Smith said on First Take. "He said, ‘Jaylen Brown, it’s not so much that he’s underrated, it’s that he’s just not liked because of his I-am-better-than-you attitude. He knows it. It’s the same reason he is not as marketable as he should be.’ That’s what an NBA source just sent me."

Stephen A. Smith was criticized for these remarks, although he made it clear he didn't think that of Brown but a source did. Jaylen Brown called him out on social media due to these words, and despite Smith asking for the player to get a shoe deal and giving him his flowers during the NBA playoffs, he's fallen out of favor with the wing.