Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s strained relationship reportedly came to a head over dinner in France last June, when Brown pressed his former Celtics teammate about their future together in Boston. The tension surfaced again before Tuesday night’s game in Philadelphia.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the dinner was the last time the two spoke face-to-face before Tuesday.
At the time, Boston had missed out on Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ultimately joined Miami. The Celtics had discussed Brown in trade talks, and after learning he might be moved, Brown went to Tatum to ask where he stood and whether Tatum still wanted him on the team.
Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia days later. Tatum tried calling and texting, but Brown didn’t respond, according to Charania.
Just before Tuesday’s tipoff, Tatum approached Brown and tapped him on the chest in greeting. Brown kept his eyes forward and continued on without returning the gesture.
Asked beforehand whether he intended to clear the air, Brown replied, “There’s nothing to talk about.” Philadelphia then lost to Boston, 123-101, in the first game the former teammates had played against each other.
After the final buzzer, Brown hugged several former Celtics teammates before heading to the locker room. He and Tatum did not speak. Brown scored 13 points, while Tatum finished with 21 on 8-for-17 shooting.
Last month, after Tatum said in a video that Brown’s trade had caught him off guard, Brown responded on Instagram with a blue-cap emoji. Tatum later told reporters, “This ain’t no f—ing Shaq and Kobe. There’s no beef.”
Brown agreed there was no feud, but added a pointed joke: “Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. It’s no beef. But it might be a little lambchops and some gravy.”
Brown was drafted third overall in 2016, followed by Tatum at the same spot in 2017. Together, they reached five conference finals and two NBA Finals, and won the 2024 championship.
The two also collected major individual honors during their time in Boston. Tatum earned multiple All-NBA First Team selections, while Brown was named MVP of both the 2024 Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals.
