Jaylen Brown was introduced as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, and he gave a somewhat telling answer about his relationship with former Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum.
Brown was asked about whether he had hoped to continue his partnership with Tatum. Brown indicated that he had respect for Tatum professionally, but certainly made it sound like the two were not personally close.
“We won a championship together, so anybody that you won a championship with, that’s a brotherhood or a lifelong legacy,” Brown said. “Obviously, there’s ups and downs, like any type of relationship, but from my end, it’s nothing but respect. Besides when he plays the Sixers, I hope he does well, but other than that, everything is just based on respect.”
When asked if the two had been able to talk since the trade, Brown responded: “Not really.”
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum don't seem to talk much based on this clip pic.twitter.com/unc2ETVxc2
— LePhilly (was 215szn) (@LePhilly) August 6, 2026
Much was made of the Tatum-Brown relationship during their time together in Boston, and that has continued since the trade. Tatum’s farewell message to Brown was quite boilerplate, and reports indicated that their non-basketball relationship was nonexistent. Brown’s answer here does not do much to dismiss that notion.
Tatum admitted it was strange to see Brown traded, and that he would miss his teammate. It sounds like he meant it in a purely professional way.
