Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum had their first real spotlight moment of the season before the 76ers and Celtics even got rolling Tuesday night, and it wasn’t exactly a warm reunion.
As Boston and Philadelphia’s starters came onto the floor, the usual pregame greetings started up around them. Players exchanged hugs and daps, but Brown and Tatum never got to that point.
Brown was busy spinning the ball on one finger when Tatum came over and tapped him on the arm, then gave him several taps on the chest. Brown didn’t seem to respond, turning the moment into the kind of awkward exchange that instantly caught fire online.
That reaction came with a little extra weight because Brown, the 2025 NBA Finals MVP with the Celtics, was traded this offseason to the 76ers in a major move. He has made it clear he was unhappy with how everything unfolded, and the tension with Tatum has lingered ever since.
Social media wasted no time turning the pregame moment into a full-blown discussion. One commenter said, “What a child.
Respect to Tatum for being a grown man about it,” while another wrote, “Bro no way he’s trying to force beef watch Tatum drop 30 on his head.” Others piled on with lines like, “Jaylen Brown gave Tatum the same energy you give a coworker you spot in the grocery store,” plus, “So weird bro, he’s acting like an absolute baby,” and “Trying to be the villain so bad man.”
The relationship between the two former teammates has been a talking point all offseason. Brown has voiced his frustration with the trade more than once, and the speculation has only grown around the state of things between him and Tatum, who won the championship with him in 2024.
The two had already been trading shots in their own way before tipoff. Brown left “cap” on a video about Tatum’s reaction to the Celtics trade, while Tatum later said he had no “ill will” toward Brown. After that, Tatum told reporters at a press conference he was finished talking about it.
Brown and Tatum reportedly hadn’t spoken since those interviews and appearances, and Brown didn’t sound interested in changing that before the game. “I mean, he’s on his side, I’m on my side.
We’re playing basketball. Both of us are trying to win.
So it’s nothing to talk about. Let’s check the ball up,” he told reporters, per ESPN.
By halftime, the Celtics were in control of the matchup. Tatum had 13 points, four rebounds, and a block, while Paul George - who came to the Celtics in the Brown trade - led the way with 17 points, four rebounds, and an assist as Boston took a 62-51 lead.
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