Jaylen Brownfirst match with Jason Tatum and Celtics will take place Tuesday night in Philadelphia, but Brown didn’t want to say anything Sunday to ignite their smoldering feud, Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes in the article only for subscribers. Brown, who took thin injections has this former teammate since being traded for Sixers in July, was cautious in his comments after the win over Chicago.
“Nothing to talk about” Brown told reporters about it. “I mean, he’s on his side, I’m on my side playing basketball. We’re both trying to win, so there’s nothing to talk about. Just check the ball.”
Brown spent 10 years in Boston and said he still loves the city and “a lot of the people I’ve developed relationships with.” He and Tatum had a long partnership and won a title in 2024, with Brown notably being named the MVP of both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. There was no apparent animosity between the two during their time together, but after Brown stepped into the role of alpha scorer last season while Tatum recovered from a torn Achilles, rumors of a potential trade began to emerge. After the Celtics made Brown available in a failed attempt to land Janis Antecumpathe team decided to shop him around the league and ended up accepting an offer from Philadelphia.
“Decisions have been made” – said Brown. “It’s life, it’s business. Move on. It’s okay. It’s emotions, you have to pack up and move stuff. Your family has to pack up and move, but that’s life. It’s happened to a lot of people, including me. So I’m just looking forward to building with my team here, trying to make the best of my situation.”
More on the Sixers:
- Jay King of The Athletic looks at why the Brown-Tatum partnership ended in Boston, with a source close to both players saying “there was no conflict” that drove them apart. League sources tell King that Brown has informed the Celtics front office that he expects to be treated more like a franchise player on and off the court after his outstanding 2025-26 season, and that he is less willing to sacrifice parts of his game like he has in the past. King adds that Brown didn’t interact with Tatum when the Sixers played a preseason game in Boston, and it doesn’t appear that the two have spoken much to each other since the trade.
- Jabari Walker helped the Sixers overcome a slow start Sunday with nine points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice. A natural born power forward, Walker continues to play most of his minutes at center due to injuries to some of the team’s big men. “He continues to do the same, starting with a tough game.” coach Nick Nurse said. “Five offensive rebounds and probably another five or six near misses. So it’s funny when he’s there and it’s such a tough defensive rebound for them, it slows down the transition. So those are impact plays as well. … Really, really good minutes for him.”
- Teams fielded weak defenders LeBron James lately and forcing him to shoot from the outside, but he adjusted to that strategy on Sunday, Aaronson adds a separate story. James moved away from the role player and started attacking the basket to take advantage of the mismatch.
