EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHILADELPHIA -- The jagged relationship between former Boston Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took another turn Saturday night, when Brown insisted there was "no beef" between them, but that there "might be a little lamb chops and some gravy.""He should stay ready at all times," Brown said after the Sixers 127-116 win over the Bucks to move to 3-0. It was Brown's best game of the season, finishing with a season-high 27 points.Brown and Tatum played together in Boston for nine seasons. Both were the No. 3 picks, Brown in 2016 and Tatum a year later. Together, they were one of the most successful pairings of their era: five Eastern Conference finals appearances, two title appearances and a championship win over the Dallas Mavericks in 2024.Even with that success, throughout their tenure, critics questioned the duo's ceiling. "I think we can play together," Brown said, defending the pairing in 2022. "We have played together well for the majority of our career."At mid-court following their 2024 Finals win -- donning Celtics championship T-shirts and hats while smiling -- Tatum and Brown hugged. Tatum yelled: "They said we couldn't play together!"Two years later, Brown -- now a member of the 76ers after a stunning offseason trade, and Tatum, still in Boston, have spent the last two days explaining what appears to be a strained relationship.The back-and-forth came after Brown created a stir on social media by commenting a blue hat -- a symbol for "cap," which is slang for someone lying -- on Instagram in response to Tatum saying in a video on his YouTube channel that he was "just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world" by Brown's trade to the Philadelphia 76ers this summer."There's no beef. It's not about that. It should be more praise," Tatum said on Friday night. "I understand drama gets clicks and views, but I'm not really into that. I'm not blaming everybody for how they feel. Everybody is entitled to their own feelings, and we all go through different things in our lives."There have been indications that Brown and Tatum weren't the best of friends this offseason. Ahead of the Sixers preseason matchup against the Celtics in Boston two weeks ago, Brown and Tatum worked out pregame on opposite sides of the court but appeared to never acknowledged each other.On Saturday, Brown repeated during his news conference that there was no beef -- only a little lamb chops and gravy -- and that Tatum had a great public relations team.Brown also declined to address why he commented on the cap emoji under Tatum's post, instead saying they are both focused on what's ahead. Tatum said he would welcome a conversation with Brown to hash out whatever issue there may be. When asked if he would be open to have that conversation, Brown appeared to be disinterested."We both got so much stuff in front of us," Brown said. "So, at the end of the day ... he gotta do what he's got to do for his team. I gotta do what I do for my team.""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."Brown, who turned 30 on Saturday, left Boston as a five-time All-Star as well as the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP in helping Boston win its 18th championship. He was coming off the best season of his career, which came while Tatum was sidelined for all but 16 games as he recovered from an Achilles rupture.With Tatum out, Brown finished sixth in MVP voting and was a second-team All-NBA selection while leading the Celtics to a 56-win season. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game -- all matching or exceeding his prior career highs.Still, the Celtics chose to move forward with just Tatum, sending Brown to Philly for Paul George, two first-round picks (2028, 2031) and two second-round selections (2028, 2030)."I'm still processing how this all went down. I'm excited and disappointed at the same time," Brown said in a statement on social media after the trade.Brown and Tatum will face off for the first time on Nov. 10, when the Sixers play the Celtics in Philadelphia.
