Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum didn’t need long to give Tuesday night’s 76ers-Celtics matchup a little extra edge.
Before the game even got rolling, the two former Celtics teammates had an awkward pregame moment that quickly became the talk of the night. As both teams’ starters came onto the floor, the usual round of hugs and daps went around - just not between Brown and Tatum.
Brown was busy spinning the basketball on one finger when Tatum walked over and tapped him on the arm, then gave him several taps on the chest. Brown didn’t appear to return the greeting.
That brief exchange added another layer to a meeting already carrying plenty of attention. Brown, who won 2025 NBA Finals MVP honors with Boston, was traded this offseason to the 76ers in a major move and has made no secret of his disappointment with how things unfolded.
The reaction online came fast. Fans piled onto a post from a popular X account that highlighted the interaction, and plenty of them read the moment as a deliberate snub.
“What a child. Respect to Tatum for being a grown man about it,” one commenter said, ripping Brown’s pregame behavior.
A commenter wrote, “Bro no way he’s trying to force beef watch Tatum drop 30 on his head.”
“Jaylen Brown gave Tatum the same energy you give a coworker you spot in the grocery store,” someone suggested.
Other commenters wrote about Brown, “So weird bro, he’s acting like an absolute baby,” and “Trying to be the villain so bad man.”
The tension between the two has been building for a while. Brown has repeatedly voiced frustration over the trade, and questions about his relationship with Tatum have lingered since the offseason. The two won the championship together in 2024, but the public back-and-forth has made it clear the connection is at least strained.
That back-and-forth has played out in public, too. Brown commented “cap” on a video focused on Tatum’s reaction to the Celtics trade, while Tatum later said he had no “ill will” toward Brown. At a later press conference, Tatum said he was finished talking about it.
Brown and Tatum reportedly hadn’t spoken since addressing their relationship in interviews and appearances this offseason, and Brown made it sound like he wasn’t planning to change that before tipoff.
“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, Tatum and the Celtics were ahead in the matchup. Tatum had 13 points, four rebounds, and a block, while Paul George - Brown’s new teammate after coming to the Celtics in the trade - led the team with 17 points, four rebounds, and an assist as Boston took a 62-51 lead.
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