"They Weren't Friends": Shanon Sharpe Makes Big Claim About Jaylen Brown & Jayson Tatum's Relationship

When you think of the modern Boston Celtics, it's difficult not to think of the duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. For nine years, Brown and Tatum have carried the Celtics and guided the team to glory by winning a title together in 2024, which was their first in 16 years. But that doesn't mean things between the now-former duo were breezy away from Celtics games.

Brown has now been traded to the 76ers rather unceremoniously after his relationship with the Celtics’ front office fell apart following a tumultuous offseason, during which he referred to a season that ended in a first-round playoff exit as his favorite. As a result, Tatum and the Celtics no longer have to address rumors of a rift between the two-time All-Stars. Amid all this, Shannon Sharpe revealed that the two were never really friends.

"Off the court, (Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum) don't necessarily align," Sharpe said on the Night Cap podcast. "But there was surely a mutual respect. On the court, in the gym, they're best work buddies. Off the court, they're just not. That's okay. Why is that so hard for people to understand?"

"If you go back and look at it, Michael (Jordan) and Scottie (Pippen), were they close? No," Sharpe added. "Shaq (O'Neal) and Kobe (Bryant)? Kyrie (Irving) and LeBron (James)? It's okay. I don't know this notion that if we're the best two players, we've got to get along. ... (Brown and Tatum) got along ... but they weren't friends."

Now that Brown and Tatum will no longer share the court together as teammates, it'll be interesting to see how they'll treat each other when they face off as adversaries.

It was the 76ers who defeated the Celtics in this year's playoffs. Now, Brown has joined a direct rival and will play alongside stars like Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. This truly makes Philly a real contender in the Eastern Conference.

Tatum, meanwhile, is now the Celtics’ undisputed leader and will play alongside Paul George, Derrick White, and Mitchell Robinson, who was acquired from the New York Knicks this offseason.

Jayson Tatum Paid Tribute to Jaylen Brown After Celtics Departure

Despite the narrative that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum aren't particularly close off the court, it seems that there is no bad blood between the two All-Stars. When the news of Brown getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers broke out, Tatum immediately went on social media to pay tribute to his former duo.

"9 years!" Tatum wrote in his Instagram Story. "Forever grateful for all that we accomplished together, for pushing me to be a better player. From first-round exits to winning a chip together, I'm thankful for it all. Nothing but love and respect for you as a player and as a person! Looking forward to seeing how you attack this next chapter of your career and wish nothing but the best for you! Continue to be special!"

Meanwhile, Brown is already bracing himself for an adjustment period when he starts working with the Sixers roster.

"The hard part is for the last 10 years I’ve been programmed to hate Philadelphia," Brown said on his Twitch livestream. "I’ve been programmed to be like, 'Man, f**k the process.' It's funny now, I got to reverse engineer. That's the part that's going to take some time."

Whether Brown and Tatum were close friends off the court doesn’t really matter. For nearly a decade, they got the job done when it mattered most, helping bring a championship back to Boston and becoming one of the NBA’s best duos. Now, with Brown in Philadelphia and Tatum leading a new-look Celtics team, that chapter is over. The next one begins as rivals, and every Celtics-76ers game will have a little more meaning.