Jayson Tatum explained where his relationship with former teammate Jaylen Brown stands.
“I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will toward him,” Tatum said after the Celtics’ 107-103 win over the Knicks on Friday. “The frustrating part is, since he’s not on the Celtics anymore, the narrative or conversations haven’t been enough about what we accomplished, all the games we won, winning the championship, how we’ve grown together, right?”
Tatum’s comments on his relationship with Brown stem from a social media interaction between the two superstars earlier in the week.
Brown posted a blue hat — a symbol for “cap,” the slang definition of someone telling a lie — in an Instagram comment section to a video of Tatum saying on his YouTube channel that he was “just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world” by Brown’s trade to the 76ers this summer.
Brown and Tatum spent the previous eight seasons together in Boston.
Brown was drafted by the Celtics in 2016, and Tatum was selected a year later in 2017.
The wing duo won a championship together in 2024 against the Mavericks, with Brown earning Finals MVP, and also made it to the NBA Finals in 2022 — along with five conference finals appearances.
The two were able to combine for eight All-Star appearances and five All-NBA selections during their time in Boston.
“This ain’t no f–king Shaq and Kobe,” Tatum said, referring to the issues between Hall of Fame teammates Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant that occurred during their eight years together on the Lakers. “There’s no beef. It’s not about that. It should be more praise. 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.”
The first matchup between the two will be on Nov. 10 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
“I’ve seen all these things about ‘Get your popcorn ready when they play’ — like this ain’t no f–king boxing match, it’s basketball,” Tatum said. “I hate the conversation, the narrative around it. There’s not enough communication, and a conversation will solve or put out a lot of fires.”
Tatum’s 36 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Friday’s win marked his best performance since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals two years ago against the Knicks.
He scored 42 before rupturing his right Achilles, an injury that forced him to miss most of last season.
With Tatum on the sidelines, Brown carried the Celtics to 56 wins and the second seed in the East.
Tatum returned for the final 16 regular-season contests and played in six games in Boston’s first-round series against Philadelphia, missing Game 7 with a left knee injury.
The Celtics lost the series after building a 3-1 lead.
