Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum spent nine seasons building one of the NBA’s most successful partnerships. Now, just weeks after Boston split them up, Brown still had Tatum in mind when asked about his teammate.
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At his youth basketball camp in Westford, Massachusetts, on August 29, Brown was asked who the funniest teammate of his career was. His answer was Jayson Tatum.
“Gotta go with Jayson Tatum,” Brown responded when asked which teammate is the funniest of his career.
The answer was notable because Brown and Tatum have had little communication since Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia in July, ending a nine-year partnership that included multiple Eastern Conference Finals appearances, two NBA Finals trips and the Celtics’ 2024 championship.
Brown’s comments about their relationship had already drawn attention weeks earlier, when he addressed the subject at his introductory press conference in Philadelphia.
“Um, no. We won a championship together. So, anybody that you win a championship with you’d think like that’s what brotherhood or a lifelong legacy would entail,” Brown said when asked whether he wanted to continue his partnership with Tatum in Boston.
When asked whether he had spoken to Tatum since the trade, Brown gave a brief answer.
“Not really,” Brown replied.
Brown went on to stress that there was “nothing but respect” on his end and pointed to the championship they won together and the ups and downs that come with any relationship.
Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, with Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens pointing to the need for more roster and salary flexibility around Tatum.
The trade also came after Brown’s strongest statistical season. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 games, earned All-NBA Second Team honors and later described the season as his most fun or favorite year.
Tatum, meanwhile, was limited to roughly 16 regular-season games after his Achilles injury. Boston eventually met Philadelphia in the first round and lost the series in seven games.
Whatever distance exists between them now, their on-court history remains difficult to ignore. Tatum and Brown combined for 56.7 points per game in 2022-23, one of the most productive seasons of their partnership.
Tatum has also spoken about the nine years they spent together, expressing “nothing but love and respect” for Brown and calling their ending “tough,” “weird” and “abrupt.” Brown has likewise emphasized the respect behind their championship partnership. Yet when Brown was asked for the funniest teammate of his career weeks later, Tatum was still the first name that came to mind.