Jaylen Brown Hasn’t Spoken to Jayson Tatum Since Trade to 76ers, Reveals Malika Andrews
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum reportedly haven't interacted yet since their split this past offseason.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (Image credits - Bleacher Report)
Many believed Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had a lifelong bond which would see them play alongside each other for the rest of their careers. Both players were drafted by the Boston Celtics and cemented their place in Celtics history forever.
Brown was the No. 3 pick in 2016, while Tatum was the No. 3 pick the following year. They played together for nine years and became one of the league’s most fearsome duos over the last decade.
During their stint, they grew up together and developed their games as leaders both on and off the court. The pair became an accomplished duo after reaching four Eastern Conference Finals. two NBA Finals and even lifted the championship in 2024.
However, the Celtics shocked everyone when they traded away Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer. The move shook the NBA world as Brown was coming off a staggering 2025-26 campaign and even revealed that he wished he could stay in Boston for the next 10 years.
They shared the locker room for nearly a decade, but it was reported that Brown and Tatum were not on the best of terms with each other. While the skeptics kept trying to split them up, Tatum dismissed the reports and even posted a heartfelt goodbye after Brown’s exit.
On NBA Today, Malika Andrews recounted asking Brown during the 76ers media day if he had spoken to Tatum since his departure from the Celtics.
I was in Philadelphia for media day. I asked Jaylen Brown whether or not he’d spoken to Jayson Tatum since the exit, and he was a little bit murky, but the essence was: ‘No, not really. I went my way and he went his way.
Malika Andrews on NBA Today
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum reportedly haven’t really spoken since Brown’s departure to Philadelphia, per @malika_andrews "I was in Philadelphia for media day. I asked Jaylen Brown whether or not he’d spoken to Jayson Tatum since the exit, and he was a little bit murky, but the essence was: ‘No, not really. I went my way and he went his way.’"
— NBABase (@TheNBABase) October 16, 2026
It is unfortunate that Celtics management had to split the two stars. Considering their age and styles of play, they were expected to be strong contenders to go all the way for the next few years.
Did Jaylen Brown take a subtle jab at Jayson Tatum in a recent interview?
The rumors of a rift between the two flared up when Brown liked a post that pointed the finger at Jayson Tatum for not standing up for him after being traded. While it remains unknown whether it was intentional or not, it did make the headlines.
While it is normal for them not to be good friends off the court, the fact that they haven’t spoken at all since their split says a lot. A clip even went viral showing the two stars in the same frame, snubbing each other during warmups for a preseason game on October 10.
In a recent interview, the new 76ers star appeared to take a subtle shot at Tatum’s reaction to his Finals MVP trophy in 2024.
I didn’t play to win an award. When they gave me MVP — they gave me two MVPs, by the way. But when I won, I was never expecting that. You can see it on my face that I was shocked, and it didn’t change [my] reaction if anybody else won. But that isn’t always the case when the shoe is on the other foot.
Jaylen Brown in an interview
Jaylen Brown on winning Finals MVP: "I think one of my highest moments in just winning a championship. I didn’t play to win no award, when they gave me the MVP, they gave me 2 MVPs by the way, just for those, you know what I mean. But when I won, I was never expecting that. I didn’t care nothing about that… It mattered way more to some people than it ever mattered to me. So when I won, you could see in my face that I was shocked. Cause it didn’t change no reaction if anybody else would have won. But that don’t always be the case when the shoe was on the other foot." (H/T @xtra0szn) https://t.co/G42kG7pkoa
— Kalshi Hoops (@KalshiHoops) October 16, 2026
There were many doubts about who the Celtics’ main star was over the last nine years. While many viewed Tatum as their main player, Brown was named the Finals MVP in 2024 and was even their star player when Tatum missed the majority of last season due to injury.
While he didn’t name anyone, Brown may have believed Tatum wasn’t happy about him winning the Finals MVP award. In the end, the Celtics picked Tatum over their former Finals MVP as their franchise player for the future.
Jaylen Brown was catching up with his Celtics teammates
When the Celtics and 76ers faced off against each other on October 10 in Boston, there was a lot of excitement to see Jaylen Brown return for the first time since his exit. Unfortunately, he didn’t play in the game but did start in the team’s second preseason game on Friday night.

Before the game, the forward was seen catching up with his former teammates. He was seen chatting with Ron Harper Jr. and Baylor Scheierman but not with Tatum.
We still miss you, JB 💚 https://t.co/PPXBvToxeV
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 17, 2026
Tatum was not a part of the game on Friday. Hence, it looks like the two former teammates will clash for the first time on November 10 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in the regular season.
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Rishan Rai
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