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Celtics' Tatum and Brown Downplay Drama After Trade
Confirmed
In Short: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown downplay any drama following Brown's trade from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and former teammate Jaylen Brown have downplayed any drama following Brown's trade to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tatum told reporters, 'There is no drama with Brown.' He emphasized the importance of communication and understanding between adults, saying, 'We're just different. We're focused on Jayson because he’s with us, he plays for us, he’s our guy.'
Brown, in response to a video of Tatum discussing the trade, used an Instagram 'cap' emoji, a slang term for something untrue. Tatum responded by stressing there is 'no beef' and wanting to have a conversation with Brown.
Both players played key roles on the Celtics' 2024 championship squad, with Brown taking over as Boston's top scoring option during the 2025-26 season while Tatum recovered from a torn Achilles.
Tatum, who scored 36 points in the Celtics' home opener, rejected suggestions that his relationship with Brown had deteriorated into something resembling the famous Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant feud.
Brown told reporters, 'Jayson comes from a wonderful family, we’ve accomplished some great things, he’s a hell of a basketball player and he’s got a great PR team.' He added, 'There’s no beef, but it might be little lamb chops and some gravy, you know what I mean? He should stay ready at all times.'
The seemingly fractured relationship between Tatum and Brown has made headlines throughout the first week of the new NBA season, with the former teammates trading retorts during postgame press conferences.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked to weigh in on the drama between the two, stating, 'We’re grateful for what Jaylen did in the past, but our focus goes to Jayson, who he is as a player, who he is as a person, and then we just move on from there.'
Background
Tatum downplayed any drama, telling 98.5 The Sports Hub, “There is no drama with Brown.” He emphasized the importance of communication and understanding between adults.
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle. Beef can be prepared in various ways; cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often ground or minced, as found in most hamburgers.
What's confirmed
- "I saw that he said, 'It's no beef.' And I think he's right, there's no beef," Brown told reporters Saturday (0:11 mark).
- "Jayson comes from a wonderful family, we've accomplished some great things, he's a hell of a basketball player and he's got a great PR team. It's no beef, but it might be little lamb chops and some gravy, you know what I mean? He should stay ready at all times."
- Jaylen Brown commented on his relationship with former teammate Jayson Tatum after the Boston Celtics traded Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers during the offseason.
What's still developing
- Oct 23, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts during the second half against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
- Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images BOSTON — The biggest storyline of the Celtics’ 107-103 win over the Knicks had nothing to do with what transpired on the parquet.
- “So for me, at this point in our lives, we’re too old to be having our relationship discussed X, Y and Z on the internet,” Tatum said.
- Brown said he and Tatum had “not really” been able to talk about their breakup during his 76ers introductory press conference on Aug. 6, over one month after he was traded.
- Tatum isn’t measuring his impact purely in the box score; he is manipulating defensive rotations, using his length to read passing lanes over double-teams, and whipping crisp skip passes to shooters in rhythm.
- Tatum looked much sharper in Boston’s second game of the season, raising expectations for his solo leadership as the Celtics navigate their first campaign without Brown by his side.
- “This ain’t no f*** Shaq and Kobe. There’s no beef,” Tatum told reporters, clearing the air about their relationship despite fans continuing to dissect the behind-the-scenes drama on social media.
- Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
- Tatum addressed the controversy Friday, saying he called and texted Brown after learning about the deal.
- Celtics blow a 22-point lead while Jayson Tatum shoots 6-for-23 from the floor?
- Bad deal, “welcome to being the guy, JT.” Ultimately, NBA fans won’t know who “won” the Brown trade for a few years when the draft picks involved in the deal convey, unless the Sixers or Celtics win a championship before that happens.
- Brown liked the “lamb chops and gravy” line so much he said it twice.