Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Launches Shoe Brand After Nike Spat

Jaylen Brown is no longer a sneaker free agent. He belongs to his own team, creating his own independent brand.

The Boston Celtics star is taking pre-orders for his new signature shoe, Rover, launched under his new performance brand and sneaker company 741, which will fuse “advanced technology and minimalist design.” The reigning NBA Finals MVP is the latest star baller to create their own signature shoe line as part of the ongoing wave of athlete empowerment that stretches across fashion, culture, media and business.

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Brown, known for being intellectual and inquisitive, says he turned down more than $50 million from major shoe companies to found 741, where he will have full ownership and creative control. The former University of California player had been spotted wearing the Rover sneakers throughout the summer without explanation until now.

The launch of his first basketball shoe, which will officially be released Oct. 22, comes after Brown had been a sneaker free agent for the last couple of seasons. His deal with Adidas ended in 2021. He wore pairs of Kobe’s (Nike) and Adidas since then, but opted to cover up shoe logos. His new sportswear venture is his most recent pushback against corporate apparel giants; he has publicly bashed Nike on social media and criticized the company for the handling of the Kyrie Irving antisemitism controversy in 2022.

Brown, a member of the NBA player union’s executive committee, went as far as to suggest that Nike played a role in his omission from the Team USA Basketball roster. The star-studded group ended up winning gold in Paris with help from his Celtics teammates Derrick White and Jayson Tatum, who just released his latest signature shoe with Nike’s Jordan Brand (Jordan Tatum 3). Brown said earlier this week he has used the snub as fuel.

Brown told Complex he was inspired by the late Kobe Bryant, who envisioned creating his own independent shoe company before his death in 2020. The Atlanta native joins other NBA players who have created their own shoe brands including Stephon Marbury and Shaquille O’Neal. Irving and Milwaukee Bucks forward Taurean Prince are among others who have partnered with existing shoe companies to launch their own signature brands.

It’s unclear if Brown’s new Rover shoes and other products will be manufactured out of China, which has spawned brands that have gotten into U.S. basketball over the last decade. Li-Ning, for example, has partnered with a string of current and former NBA stars including Dwayne Wade, Baron Davis and Jimmy Butler.

Brown has had a busy summer after helping to lift the Celtics to their first title since 2008. He launched the Boston XChange, which aims to address the racial wealth gap and empower underrepresented entrepreneurs. He also stepped into the recording studio with hip-hop artist Ferg and dropped a song called “Just Do It”’ which is the trademark slogan for Nike.

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