Jaylen Brown Explains Ignoring Jayson Tatum in Viral Video in 1st Celtics-76ers Game Since Trade

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both discussed the awkward interaction they had prior to the Boston Celtics' 123-101 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.

Before the tip-off, Tatum approached Brown and patted him on the arm and chest, but Brown didn't appear to acknowledge him:

When asked about the notion that he was ignoring his former teammate, Brown told reporters, "I'm just focused on coming out and doing what's best for my team. Everything else was just—to be honest, I wasn't paying attention. But credit to Jayson, he played well tonight. Credit to the Celtics, they executed, they shot the hell out of the ball and they were the better team tonight."

Tatum didn't offer many specifics when asked about the viral moment, telling reporters, "Listen, like I said, no headlines about anything like that. I was just getting ready for the game. Ready for jump ball. Go out there, compete, have some fun and try to get a win."

Brown and Tatum were teammates in Boston for nine years, winning an NBA championship together in 2024.

However, the Celtics made the surprising decision to move on from Brown this past offseason, trading him to the Sixers in exchange for Paul George and draft picks.

That naturally led to speculation regarding potential issues between Tatum and Brown, and whether Tatum may have played a role in Brown's departure.

Last month, Brown raised some eyebrows when he commented a "cap" emoji in response to a video of Tatum saying he was "just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world" by the Celtics' decision to trade Brown:

That led to questions for both players about their relationship, and Tatum told reporters there was "no beef."

Brown said the same, but added some caveats as well, telling reporters, "Jayson's a great guy. Like I said, great family, hell of a basketball player, hell of a PR team. There's no beef, but it'll be a little lamb chop."

Tuesday represented the first game between Boston and Philadelphia since the trade, and the Celtics flexed their muscles in what was their signature win of the season thus far.

Celtics-76ers Highlights

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Tatum put up 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks, compared to Brown's 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The true star of the game was George, who went off on his former team with a game-high 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting, plus five rebounds and one assist.

Boston moved into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with a 9-2 record, while the Sixers are second with a 9-3 mark.

The next meeting between Tatum's Celtics and Brown's 76ers is set for Jan. 21, and it will mark Brown's highly anticipated return to Boston.