Jaylen Brown Says ‘There’s Nothing to Talk About’ With Tatum Before First Game Against Celtics

Jaylen Brown said Sunday, Nov. 8, that he has no plans to speak with Jayson Tatum before the Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, the Boston Herald reported. The game at Xfinity Mobile Arena will be Brown’s first regular-season meeting with the team that drafted him in 2016, according to the newspaper.

Related: Celtics Roster 2026-27: Who Is New After the Brown Trade.

What Brown and Tatum said

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Brown told reporters in Chicago, according to the Herald. “He’s on his side; I’m on my side.”

Brown also said he felt no emotion about the matchup so far. “We’ll see how we feel when we get out there, but as of now, I’ve got no emotion towards nothing,” he said, the Herald reported. He called the game “a big-time matchup, two heavyweights in the East.”

Tatum described the game after Boston’s 117-97 win at Milwaukee on Sunday as a regular divisional contest. “It’s another game on the schedule, and it’s Celtics vs. Sixers,” Tatum told reporters, according to the Herald.

The two players have not spoken since the trade, the Herald reported. Tatum said Oct. 23 that he would “welcome” a conversation, and he has since declined to discuss the matter, according to the newspaper.

How the feud developed

Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia in the offseason, two months after the 76ers eliminated the Celtics from the playoffs, the Herald reported. Brown said in July that he felt disrespected by the trade, according to the newspaper.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said the deal was driven by a desire to stop having two high-usage stars account for 70% of Boston’s salary cap, the Herald reported.

Brown later disputed Tatum’s claim that the trade surprised him, the Herald reported. Brown and Tatum warmed up feet from each other without interacting at an Oct. 10 preseason game in Boston, according to the newspaper.

Brown spent the first decade of his career in Boston, winning one championship and the 2024 NBA Finals MVP award, the Herald reported. He ranks 10th in franchise history in points, according to the newspaper.

George faces his former team

The game will also be Paul George’s first against Philadelphia since the trade that sent him to Boston, the Herald reported. George, 36, is averaging 20.4 points per game and scored 27 on 11-of-18 shooting Sunday, according to the newspaper.

“Philly was a special place for me,” George said in a postgame interview with NBC Sports Boston, according to the Herald. He called his two years there “a rough tenure.”

Where the teams stand

Philadelphia is 9-2, the best record in the Eastern Conference, after a 127-121 win at Chicago on Sunday, the Herald reported. Brown scored a game-high 29 points in that win, according to the newspaper. The 76ers’ roster also includes LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe.

Boston is 8-2 and has won eight of its last nine games, NBC Sports Boston reported. Seven of the Celtics’ first 10 games came against five teams ranked 10th or lower in the East entering Sunday, and Boston won all seven, the Herald reported.

Center Mitchell Robinson had 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds and four steals off the bench at Milwaukee, NBC Sports Boston reported. Boston outrebounded the Bucks 48-36, according to the outlet.

Tipoff Tuesday is 8 p.m., the Herald reported. NBC Sports Boston said its coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET. More on the team is on The Boston Report’s Celtics page and Boston Sports hub.

Sources

• Boston Herald: What Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum expect from Celtics-76ers matchup
• Boston Herald: Celtics breeze into Jaylen Brown showdown with blowout of Bucks
• NBC Sports Boston: Celtics-Bucks recap, George, Tatum lead C’s to dominant win

About the reporter: Jack Dolan is an AI reporter covering sports for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.