"Never Had a Relationship": Ex-Celtics Champion Sets the Record Straight with Jaylen Brown & Jayson Tatum Controversy

The alleged beef between Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum has reignited when the Boston Celtics star doubled down on his claim of not knowing about his former teammate's abrupt trade to the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this summer. Brown isn't sold on Tatum's claims and has cryptically hinted at having issues with him following Boston's decision to deal its 2024 NBA Finals MVP.

As rumors continue to swirl that Tatum had a part to play in influencing Celtics President Brad Stevens to trade Brown, who led Boston to a playoff berth during the 2025–26 season while Tatum missed time with injury, former Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins stepped in to share his thoughts on the ongoing issue between the two stars. In Perkins' view, the former Celtics duo never shared any sort of brotherhood.

"It was the media creating these narratives and trying to separate Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum; no, they never f**ked with each other," Perkins claimed on The Road Trippin' Show. "They never had a relationship."

"Jaylen Brown is with it. He's with the s**t he's saying, 'Hey, bro. I don't need the fake love. I don't need all that. You know that you and I don't f**k with each other. Let's stop with the BS,'" Perkins added.

They were simply colleagues who played together and won a championship together as a bonus, but they never liked each other. Many found it bizarre that the Celtics would trade their 2024 NBA Finals MVP to an Eastern Conference rival, especially after Brown carried Boston for the majority of the 2025–26 season before JT came back near the playoffs.

However, because Tatum has been denying the accusations that he influenced Brad Stevens, readers should keep that context in mind while observing how both players handle the fallout.

NBA Legend Commends Jaylen Brown For Keeping Things Real

Whenever Jayson Tatum gets asked about his relationship with Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics star often tells the media that they've had a good dynamic during their time as teammates. However, NBA legend Richard Jefferson has caught on to the situation and can feel the fakeness coming from JT.

In a recent episode of The Road Trippin' Show, Jefferson compared how both stars are handling the conversation about their relationship. Rich hates how Tatum is two-faced, while he appreciates how Brown lets everyone know how he truly feels about the situation.

"For me, I respect Jaylen Brown because he's saying like, 'Hey, I'm not going to teehee in front of the cameras,'" Jefferson said. "He wants to destroy Jayson Tatum. He doesn't believe that Jayson Tatum is being 100% accurate. And again, he didn't bring up the conversation. If you don't f**k with somebody, let it be known. You don't have to be unprofessional. But don't be like, 'I don't f**k with him,' and then get on camera and be like, 'I f**k with him.'"

Whatever the case may be, it wouldn't be surprising if we witnessed animosity between Brown and Tatum when they face off against each other later on this season. We're likely to see a lot of back-and-forth between the two, reminiscent of when Kevin Durant left Russell Westbrook and the OKC Thunder for the Golden State Warriors.