Philadelphia 76ers forward Jaylen Brown said he is unsure whether he will be emotional when he faces his former team, the Boston Celtics, on Tuesday night. He also has no interest in repairing his rift with former co-star Jayson Tatum.
Brown spoke after the Sixers’ 127-121 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, in which he scored 29 points. He said he has not spoken to or seen Tatum since the Celtics traded him in the offseason, and he has no plans to speak to Tatum when the Sixers host Boston.
“It’s nothing to talk about. I mean, he’s on his side, I’m on my side,” Brown said. “Just playing basketball. Both of us are trying to win, so it’s nothing to talk about. Just check the ball up.”
A partnership that ended in a trade
Brown and Tatum played together in Boston for nine seasons. Both were the No. 3 overall pick, with Brown selected in 2016 and Tatum a year later. Together, they formed one of the most successful pairings of their era. They guided the Celtics to five Eastern Conference finals appearances and two trips to the NBA Finals, and they won the championship over the Dallas Mavericks in 2024.
Throughout their time together, critics questioned whether they fit as a duo. Brown and Tatum consistently defended their relationship and their belief that they could play together in public. They proved their point in 2024, when the Celtics won their first title since 2009.
Two years later, Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George, two first-round picks (2028 and 2031) and two second-round selections (2028 and 2030). The trade appears to have ended whatever relationship remained between the former champion teammates.
A war of words on social media
Last month, Brown stirred debate on social media by posting a blue hat emoji on Instagram. The symbol stands for “cap”, slang for lying, and he used it in response to Tatum. In a video on his YouTube channel, Tatum said he was “just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world” by the trade.
A day later, Tatum sought to calm the situation. “There’s no beef. It’s not about that. It should be more praise,” he said. “I understand drama gets clicks and views, but I’m not really into that. I’m not blaming everybody for how they feel. Everybody is entitled to their own feelings, and we all go through different things in our lives.”
Two days after that, Brown offered a different view. He insisted there was “no beef” between them but added that there “might be a little lamb chops and some gravy”. He also repeated that Tatum has a “hell of a PR team”.
“He should stay ready at all times,” Brown added.
Top of the East collide
Tuesday’s game marks the first time the two will face each other since the trade, and it pits the top two teams in the Eastern Conference against one another. The Sixers are 9-2, while the Celtics are 7-2.
Brown suggested he may not know how he will feel until the game begins. “We’ll see how I feel when we get out there, but as of now, I got no emotion towards anything,” he said. “So I’m just ready to go.”