The Boston Celtics have cruised out to a 3-1 start to the 2026-27 campaign, proving that they will remain one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, even without Jaylen Brown at their disposal. Of course, the team has continued to have to deal with drama from the fallout of their decision to trade Brown over the offseason, thanks in large part to the man himself.
Brown has leaned into rumors suggesting that he and former teammate Jayson Tatum did not have a great relationship with each other during their time together in Boston, with both guys publicly addressing the situation in recent days. While Tatum has tried to shut down the discussion as of late, Brown has continued to stir the pot, as he seemingly took another subtle jab at Tatum and the C’s with his latest comments.
Jaylen Brown Takes Another Jab at Jayson Tatum and the Celtics
Tatum and Brown spent the last nine years of their respective careers playing as superstar teammates for the Celtics. While they were constantly involved in trade rumors, the duo managed to lead Boston to victory in the 2024 NBA Finals, which seemingly put that discussion to rest.
Of course, Tatum missed the majority of the 2025-26 campaign recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, and Brown took his game to another level in his absence. Over the offseason, the C’s finally decided to split this pair up, trading Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that shocked the NBA world.
Since then, folks have debated whether or not Tatum had a role in the team’s decision to trade Brown. While he has said he found out when everyone else found out, Brown has made it clear he disagrees with that notion. That has led to some tense comments from both on the situation, with Brown taking another veiled jab at Tatum and his former team when discussing what life in the NBA is like.
“In the NBA, it’s a lot of egos. It’s a lot of money. It’s a lot of emotions. It’s like politics,” Brown said on “The Old Man and The Three. “Coaches are afraid sometimes to challenge their top player, because if it goes s***, they might lose their job.”
Celtics Attempting to Ignore the Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum Drama
It’s not too hard to decipher who Brown is talking about here. He has made it clear on several occasions that he believes he is the same caliber of player as Tatum, which is likely one of the main sources of contention between the two of them. Brown hasn’t been shy when it comes to drumming up drama in the past, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that he is continuing his war path now that he is in Philadelphia.
At this point, Boston is pretty accustomed to Brown’s antics, which is likely how this group has managed to do a good job of blocking out the noise early in the season. The Celtics will kick off their NBA Cup action for the new campaign on Friday night, as they will take on a Chicago Bulls team that they just defeated by a score of 134-99 earlier this week. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Jaylen Brown Takes Another Subtle Shot at Celtics, Jayson Tatum With Latest Comments