PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 22: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images Gio Rivera Sun, October 25, 2026 at 6:54 AM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Boston Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both in agreement: there's no beef, bad blood, or resentment to address.
On Friday night, most of Tatum's nearly 13-minute-long postgame press conference was dedicated to responding to Brown's "cap" emoji under an Instagram video clip from Tatum's 'Summer of Jayson' docuseries — where he claimed he was caught off guard by Brown's trade to the Philadelphia 76ers in July. He denied any existence of beef with Brown, noting several times it was beneath them.
Brown revealed he had heard all of Tatum's comments after Philadelphia's 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I didn't see the full thing, but I saw that he said there's no beef, and he's right," Brown told reporters on Saturday night, per NBC Sports Philadelphia . "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. There's no beef, but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times."
Unlike Tatum's approach at the podium, Brown seemed much more subliminal, which isn't new.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 22: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For years, Brown would use similar messaging to vent whether it'd be directed at the NBA, officials, or ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. But this time it's not a referee with a whistle or a loudmouth media figure. Tatum was Brown's right-hand man for nearly a decade, going through 121 playoff games, five trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and two to the NBA Finals. They won a championship in 2024, raising Boston's long-awaited 18th banner and were poised to ride their careers into the sunset together as one of the Celtics' all-time duos.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens tried to use Brown to bring Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee to Boston, and when that failed, it became time for a backup plan. So instead, Stevens shipped Brown to the rival Sixers in exchange for 36-year-old Paul George plus four future draft selections, officially bringing the Tatum-Brown era to an end.
"Like I said, it's no beef," Brown reiterated. "The PR and all that type stuff, it is what it is, but I think we're both focused on what's in front of us."
Rather than getting to follow up on his career-best season — a year in which he finished sixth in MVP voting — Brown was forced to take his talents to the City of Brotherly Love to join forces with LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Coughing up a 3-1 series lead in Game 7 at TD Garden was Brown's final game in a Celtics uniform.
Tatum sat on the bench with left knee discomfort, and the thousands of Celtics fans in attendance fled TD Garden both disappointed and under the assumption the team would run in back with both Tatum and Brown in 2026-27. And based on Tatum's reaction in his offseason YouTube docuseries, the 28-year-old foresaw that too.
During the preseason, Brown and Tatum didn't greet each other during warmups. They went about their pregame routines on opposite sides of the court and didn't acknowledge one another before going back into the players' tunnels.
If Brown does accept Tatum's open invitation for a conversation, he'll have plenty of opportunities, including four upcoming Celtics-Sixers matchups scheduled this season. The first is set for Nov. 10 in Philadelphia.
"At the end of the day, we gotta do what you gotta do for his team," Brown said. "I gotta do what I do for my team."
Source: Sports
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