Former Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown confronted ex-running mate Jayson Tatum at a dinner table in France last June over their future in Boston, and that bad blood finally resurfaced on the hardwood Tuesday night.
According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, that awkward European sit-down marked the last time the two stars spoke face-to-face.
Boston had just struck out on Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ended up in Miami instead. Celtics brass had put Brown on the table in those talks. Once Brown caught wind he was being shopped, he went straight to Tatum to find out where he stood and whether Tatum still wanted him in Boston.
Charania reported that Brown approached and confronted Tatum at the dinner table specifically to address their future as a tandem and gauge where Tatum stood on the entire situation.
Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia days later, effectively ending communication between the two. Tatum called and texted, but Brown never answered.
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Seconds before tip-off Tuesday night in Philly, Tatum walked over and tapped Brown on the chest to say hello. Brown gave him absolute zero back. Eyes locked dead ahead, Brown didn’t flinch, didn’t dap him up, and blew right past him like Tatum wasn’t there.
Asked before Tuesday’s tip if he planned to clear the air, Brown said, “There’s nothing to talk about.” Brown then dropped the first on-court faceoff between the two, as Philadelphia fell 123-101 to Boston.
After the final buzzer, Brown hugged several of his former teammates before heading back to the locker room, leaving the floor without saying a word to Tatum.
Brown had 13 points against his former team. Tatum had 21 on 8-for-17 shooting.
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When Tatum claimed on video last month that the trade caught him off guard, Brown hit back on Instagram with a blue cap emoji. Tatum tried shutting down the drama to reporters: “This ain’t no f—ing Shaq and Kobe. There’s no beef.”
Brown countered on camera: “I saw that he said it’s no beef and I think he’s right. There’s no beef. 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.”
Drafted third overall in back-to-back drafts (Brown in 2016, Tatum in 2017), the duo reached five conference finals, two NBA Finals and won the 2024 NBA title.
Debates over franchise ownership followed. Tatum earned First Team All-NBA nods, while Brown won the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP awards.
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