Jaylen Brown’s pregame snub of Jayson Tatum fuels rivalry talk after nine years together

Jaylen Brown appeared to snub former Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum before their first game as opponents, fueling speculation of a rivalry. Before tipoff, Tatum walked over to greet Brown, who kept spinning the basketball and did not return the gesture before Tatum embraced LeBron James. The two former teammates also did not interact following the final buzzer, with Tatum conducting a postgame interview while Brown greeted other ex-teammates.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 123-101 behind 36 points from Paul George and 21 points from Tatum, while Brown finished with 13 points. The matchup marked the players' first on-court meeting since Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia in July following nine seasons and a 2024 NBA championship together.