Jaylen Brown joked about his relationship with former Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum, saying there was no serious conflict between them but suggesting their public exchange might not be entirely over.
“It’s no beef, but you know, it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. You know what I mean? He should stay ready at all times,” Brown said after the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 on Saturday.
Brown was asked about Tatum’s recent comments regarding their relationship. The two played together in Boston before Brown joined Philadelphia, and their relationship has drawn attention amid differing public accounts of their history.
“I didn’t see the full thing, but I saw that he said it’s no beef, and I think he’s right. There’s no beef,” Brown said. “You know, Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He got a great PR team.”
Brown repeated the joke when asked why he had described the situation that way.
“Just, you know, that’s what it is. No beef. It should never ever be that. It’s just basketball. We both blessed. But it might be a little lamb chop. We’ll be all right,” he said.
Asked whether he would be willing to have a conversation with Tatum, Brown emphasized that both players had responsibilities with their respective teams.
“Yeah. So, you know, at the end of the day, we both—you got to do what he got to do for his team. I got to do what I do for my team,” Brown said. “Like Jayson’s a great guy, like I said, great family, hell of a basketball player, hell of a PR team. There’s no beef, bro. You know, be a little lamb chop.”
Brown was also asked about a recent comment he made on Tatum’s social media post in which he suggested Tatum’s version of events was untruthful.
“Yeah. Yeah. Hey, look, like I said, there’s no beef. You know, the PR and all that type stuff is it is what it is, but I think we just both focused on what’s in front of us,” Brown said.
The exchange came on Brown’s 30th birthday, as he helped Philadelphia improve to 3-0. He scored 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting, added five assists and made all six of his free throws in the win over Milwaukee.
Tatum has played two games for Boston this season, scoring 13 points in a season-opening loss to Detroit before erupting for 36 points in a victory over the New York Knicks on October 23.
Brown and Tatum are scheduled to face each other four times during the 2026-27 regular season. Their first meeting is set for November 10 in Philadelphia, while Brown’s first return to Boston as a 76er is scheduled for January 21.
