Skip to content

Jaylen Brown brushes off Jayson Tatum before Celtics‑Sixers game

sportsNov 10, 202635469

Before Tuesday’s Celtics‑Sixers game in Philadelphia, Jayson Tatum approached and tapped former teammate Jaylen Brown, who kept spinning a basketball on his finger and did not visibly acknowledge Tatum in a widely shared clip. Brown told reporters “just check the ball up,” and later said “He’s on his side, I’m on my side, playing basketball,” framing the moment as professional separation rather than personal drama. LeBron James offered Tatum a big hug on the same court, providing a warmer reunion in contrast to Brown’s response. This was Brown and Tatum’s first game as opponents after the partnership that produced the Celtics’ 2024 championship and Brown’s July trade to Philadelphia. Analysts on the NBA Showtime crew and outlets have broken down the perceived fallout, but the brief pregame interaction and the comments on both sides do not settle their relationship and have only added to public speculation.

2 sources