‘This Ain’t No Shaq And Kobe’ — Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Torches Media For Pushing Bad Blood ‘Drama’ With Jaylen Brown
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Jayson Tatum addressed the Jaylen Brown ‘beef’ on Friday. A day earlier, his former Boston Celtics teammate seemed to question Tatum’s account of the July trade that sent Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, ending their nine-season run together.
It started Thursday with the latest episode of Tatum’s YouTube documentary series, “Summer of Jayson.” Describing his reaction to the deal, the Celtics star said, “So I was just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world.”
Late Thursday night, Brown called out on those comments in a reply under an Instagram clip of them.
Jayson Tatum Answers Jaylen Brown’s Reply, Calls Out Media’s ‘Beef’ Narrative
Asked about Brown’s reply, Tatum steered the conversation toward what the pair accomplished in Boston.
“It should be celebrated, right? Like how many people played in this league and never went to the finals. We went twice and won a championship, so it should be more about that. This ain’t no Shaq and Kobe. Like there’s no beef or, you know. It’s not about that.”
“It should be more, you know, praise, and I understand that don’t necessarily sell drama, gets clicks and views, but I’m not like really into [it]. That’s not like my thing,” Tatum said.
The Boston Globe reported that Brown’s reply “might lend credence to the belief that Tatum was aware” that the Celtics were going to trade Brown, adding that trade rumors had linked Brown to Giannis Antetokounmpo in the weeks before the deal.
Celtics president Brad Stevens spoke about Tatum’s involvement this summer. “I didn’t keep him in the loop, I didn’t talk to him the next day. I didn’t want to put that on him or anyone else that’s in the playing group.”
Where the former teammates stand has been a question since the trade. At his introduction with the 76ers in August, Brown said “not really” when asked whether he and Tatum had spoken since the deal.
The 2024 Finals MVP also spoke about their bond.
“We won a championship together. Anybody that you win a championship with, you would think, that’s what a brotherhood or a lifelong legacy would entail. Obviously, there’s ups and downs in any type of relationship. But on my end, there’s nothing but respect,” Brown said. “Besides when he plays the Sixers, I hope he does well.”
On Friday, Tatum gave his side of how the two handled the aftermath. “I reached out to him the day he got traded. I called him, I texted him, and I understand people process things differently.”
Once the 2026-27 season tipped off, Brown helped the 76ers to a 2-0 start. He had 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in Tuesday’s 106-100 road win over the New York Knicks.
On Thursday, he added 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 8 rebounds as Philadelphia came back from 29 points down to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106.
Tatum’s first two games were a polarizing affair. He had 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting, as well as 11 assists in Tuesday’s 121-113 defeat to the Detroit Pistons. But on Friday, he exploded for 36 points on 14-of-26 shooting, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 107-103 home win over the Knicks.
The two teams will meet for the first time this regular season on November 10, when the Celtics visit Xfinity Mobile Arena.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.