Call it beef, call it “lamb chops,” but something is clearly not right between Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
The former Celtics teammates, now split up in the Eastern Conference, faced off for the first time on Tuesday night, drawing all eyes on their first interaction.
After spending warmups on separate ends of the floor, Tatum attempted to acknowledge Brown just before tip-off but appeared to receive the cold shoulder.
See the interaction for yourself below.
MORE: Inside beef between Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown appears to ignore Jayson Tatum
After warming up separately, Tatum walked over to Brown seconds before tip-off and put his arm around his former teammate to embrace him. Brown didn’t appear to look at Tatum or acknowledge him in any way.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum before tipoff. (📺 NBC) https://t.co/gs8XPSPQZT
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 11, 2026
In contrast, Tatum received a warm embrace from LeBron James immediately after trying to acknowledge Brown.
In October, Brown denied any beef between him and Tatum, but he didn’t exactly clear the air, either.
Tatum and Brown matched up frequently in the early minutes of the game, an odd sight for Celtics fans who watched the two play together for nearly a decade.
Tatum with the clamps on Jaylen Brown 👀 https://t.co/8qYaIGEtUI
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 11, 2026
“There’s no beef. 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 said. “There’s no beef, but there might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”
As long as Brown remains a 76er, the former teammates are going to see plenty of each other.
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