Sixers’ Jaylen Brown on facing Jayson Tatum: ‘Just check the ball up’

Jaylen Brown will have plenty of attention on him when the Celtics visit Philadelphia on Tuesday. He isn’t looking to add much to the conversation.

Asked Sunday about facing Jayson Tatum, the Sixers star kept his answer focused on the game.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Brown told reporters, via Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I mean, he’s on his side, I’m on my side, playing basketball. Both of us are trying to win, so it’s nothing to talk about. Just check the ball up.”

Sounds about right. But after 10 years in Boston, a championship and a July trade, this was always going to be more than another November game.

Brown and Tatum won the 2024 title together, with Brown collecting Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals MVP honors. Now they’re trying to win with different teams, and the circumstances surrounding their split remain a topic.

According to Jay King of The Athletic, Brown told Celtics management after last season that he expected treatment more consistent with a franchise player and was less willing to sacrifice parts of his game.

Still, a source close to both players told King “there was no conflict” that drove them apart. That’s worth keeping in mind before turning every interaction into evidence of a feud.

Brown said he still loves Boston and the relationships he built there. His focus, though, has changed.

“Decisions were made,” he said. “It’s life, it’s business. Move on. It’s OK. I just look forward to just being able to build with my team over here, trying to make the best of my situation.”

RELATED | All Sixers coverage from Hoops Wire