Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum Trade Barbs Ahead of Sixers-Celtics Meeting on Nov. 10

The split between Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics, and with it the break between Brown and Jayson Tatum, has become one of the NBA's most talked-about storylines. Tatum and the Celtics have tried to cool things down since Brown was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, but the effort has not worked as hoped.

Tatum said he has heard that fans will have their popcorn ready when the Celtics play the Sixers for the first time this season, on Nov. 10 in Philadelphia. He insisted it is basketball, not a boxing match. "It should be more praise, and I understand that don't necessarily sell," Tatum said, adding that drama gets clicks and views but is not his thing. He also said there is no beef, comparing the situation to the famous Shaq and Kobe feud and saying it is not that.

Brown answered over the weekend. "It's no beef," he said, before adding: "But it might be a little lamb chop and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times." He also said more than once that Tatum has "a great PR team." The clip circulated widely on social media on Oct. 25.

The two sides also differ on what happened after the trade. Brown reportedly said he had not spoken with Tatum around that time and that the two had gone their separate ways. Tatum says he tried to reach out the day of the trade, both calling and texting.

In his documentary "Summer of Jayson," Tatum recalled being in Las Vegas when Celtics player development coach God Shammgod Jr. told him about the deal. "[Shammgod] handed me a towel," Tatum said, recalling that he was told to put it over his face and not react. When he learned Brown was headed to Philadelphia, Tatum said, he asked, "You traded him down the street?" He added that he was "just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world."

Brown pushed back on that account. When a clip of Tatum's remarks was shared on social media on Oct. 23, Brown replied in the comments with a blue cap emoji, a signal that he doubted the story.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the friction and said he and the organization want to "move forward." He said Tatum and Brown had "great, great moments together" and did "great things." Tatum, for his part, suggested the media "can push or speculate" on such matters, adding, "rightfully so, that's y'all's job."

The Celtics and Sixers already share a long history of rivalry, though it has often been one-sided. Joel Embiid once said it was not really a rivalry when the Celtics always beat the Sixers, a remark made eight years ago. More recently, the Sixers upset the Celtics in the first round of last year's playoffs. That result set off a chain of events in Boston that ended with Brown being traded down the road. LeBron James joined him shortly after.

With the teams set to meet in two weeks, the personal tension between Brown and Tatum has given the matchup added weight. Whatever happens before then, the game in Philadelphia on Nov. 10 is likely to draw close attention.