I thought it was crazy they didnt let him wear it. how is it any different than a smartphone?
Well, it's different from a smart phone for alot of reasons, some for legitimate safety/ privacy issues Google still has time to address, but none germane to the discussion here.
But i think what it comes down to is Google, to my knowledge, is not a marketing partner of the NBA, and thus the NBA was not interested in doing free advertising for Google.
Yes, kids smart phones are from all different companies the NBA doesn't have deals with, but they are mostly cased, and can't be readily identified by someone watching the draft. Nor are they out in plain view when the kid is the focus of attention while shaking Stern's hand.
Everyone knows, on the other hand, that the glass is a Google product. I think this as simple as Google didn't grease the NBA pre draft.