Brandon Jennings thinks his sponsorship deal with Under Armour might have hurt his chances with being invited to try out for Team USA and the world championships. Of the 12 members of Team USA’s roster, only Chauncey Billups, Derrick Rose(notes) and Eric Gordon wore shoes other than Nike. Rookie of the year, Tyreke Evans and fellow rookie Stephen Curry (both wear Nike), were invited to camp, with Curry making the team.
“It’s not my call. That’s on them. But if you want to get technical about it and you really want to look at it, half of the guys there are Nike guys. I’m not saying it’s a Nike thing, but Nike is kind of running a lot of things right now. To have a guy like myself on the USA team that’s flashy and really outgoing, you don’t want Under Armour to get all that [publicity].”
– Brandon Jennings
When asked about it, Team USA basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo said sponsorships did not influence who was invited to tryout for Team USA and that Brandon Jennings was considered but the team was already heavily loaded with guards.
