Jaylen Brown is not going to let this Jayson Tatum beef die. Actually, it's not a beef. Let's make sure we get this correct. It's a ... lamb chop? Yes, a lamb chop. And some gravy. I can't believe I am writing this, but these were actual words spoken by Brown after the 76ers' win over the Bucks on Saturday night.
"There's no beef," Brown said of his relationship with Tatum, his longtime Celtics teammate before a stunning offseason trade shipped him to rival Philadelphia. "Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We've accomplished some great things. He's a hell of a basketball player. He's got a great PR team. It's no beef, but it might be a little lamb chop. And some gravy. He should stay ready at all times."
These are shots at Tatum. No two ways about it. He's got a great PR team? He should stay ready at all times? Brown sounds like he's in the middle of crafting a diss track. Personally, I can't wait for the next bar. This is high hoops drama. And if you're like me, you're praying to the basketball gods that we get a 76ers-Celtics playoff series.
"There's no beef, but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy.” — Jaylen Brown on Jayson Tatum (h/t @ohnohedidnt24) pic.twitter.com/PksOP88hFS
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 25, 2026
If you need a refresher on how we've arrived at this place in the Brown-Tatum beef ... er, lamb chop ... let's run through it. We'll call this the appetizer portion. Forgive me. I had to say it.
It all started, of course, with Brown being traded to the 76ers. He wasn't happy about it. He's been playing the Rodney Dangerfield "I get no respect" card for years. He basically turned last season into an "I'm the best two-way player in the world" campaign tour while Tatum was sidelined with an Achilles tear. He hears every slight. And the Celtics trading him, in his eyes, was the biggest one yet, particularly on the heels of the best individual season of his life, one in which he led Boston to 56 wins and the East's No. 2 seed while Tatum rehabbed his injury.
So he was ticked about the trade itself (which is understandable), and, perhaps even more so, by the way it was handled by the Celtics. He's never really elaborated on that other than to say there was a "lack of respect" and that "maybe one day we'll share the details of how everything transpired and all the moving parts that took place in this."
Jayson Tatum shuts down Jaylen Brown drama: 'This ain't f---in' Shaq and Kobe, there's no beef' Robby Kalland
These were quotes from Brown's introductory press conference in Philadelphia. It was here that he was asked whether he and Tatum had talked following the trade. "Nah, not really," Brown said, and let's just say he didn't sound friendly about it.
Fast forward to this past Thursday, when the latest episode of Tatum's documentary series, "Summer of Jayson," was released. In it, he detailed his reaction to learning of the Brown trade. Tatum said he was in Las Vegas when it went down. He had just come off the court from a workout when Celtics player development coach God Shammgod Jr. broke the news to him.
"[Shammgod] handed me a towel," Tatum said. "He was like, 'Yo, put this over your face. Don't react. They just traded him.' I'm like, 'Oh, shit.' I'm like, 'Where?' He said, 'Philly.' I said, 'You traded him down the street?' So I was just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world."
Jayson Tatum on the Jaylen Brown trade in a recent interview: "I was just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world." Jaylen Brown in the comments: 🧢 pic.twitter.com/dia6lscJ2E
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) October 23, 2026
You see that little blue cap emoji below Tatum's posted video? That's a response from Brown's account. If you are not fluent in emoji, calling "cap" on something or someone means calling it a lie.
Now, what Brown was suggesting Tatum was lying about isn't clear, but we can make a pretty safe assumption: Tatum is saying he was caught off guard by the trade, that he didn't know anything about it, and Celtics president Brad Stevens has even said he intentionally kept everyone, including Tatum, in the dark about the deal until it was done. But Brown pretty clearly doesn't believe this.
So now we get to Friday night. The Celtics had just beaten the Knicks for their first win of the season, and afterward, Tatum, of course, was asked about Brown's "cap" response to his posted video. Tatum tried to shut it down, saying there is no beef with Brown and that, in essence, the media should stop trying to create one for clicks.
"This ain't no f---in' Shaq and Kobe," Tatum said. "There's no beef. It's not about that. It should be more praise [for everything we accomplished together], and I understand that don't necessarily sell. Drama gets clicks and views, but I'm not really -- that's not my thing."
"This ain't no f-----g Shaq and Kobe." 😳 Jayson Tatum dismisses any beef between him and Jaylen Brown. pic.twitter.com/yTXYG5Ap6I
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 24, 2026
Which brings us back, finally, to Saturday night, when Brown was asked about Tatum's "no beef" statement and gave us the "lamb chops and gravy" quote that is sure to keep on giving. The mature thing to say about all this, I suppose, is that Brown should move on and quit being so petty and take the high road on which Tatum, a polished pro if there ever was one, is going to continue traveling. I guess I'm not very mature.
Don't get me wrong, I don't like writing about this every other day, but I hope it quiets down from that standpoint. I'd rather talk about basketball. But eventually, this will be about basketball. And that's going to be the best part -- when the 76ers host the Celtics on Nov. 10 and then when Brown returns to Boston for the first time on Jan. 21. I don't know about you, but I'm personally praying to the basketball gods that we get a Celtics-Sixers playoff series. Because that's when this little lamb chop would get seriously juicy.
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