Jayson Tatum wasn’t messing around Friday night. After dropping three huge clutch shots in the final two minutes to seal a 107-104 win against the Knicks at TD Garden, Tatum used almost his entire postgame press conference to clear the air. And who was he talking about? None other than his former teammate, Jaylen Brown.
The “Cap” Comment Heard Around the League
This whole thing exploded Thursday night when Brown, now with the 76ers, led a wild 29-point comeback against the Cavaliers. Afterward, he jumped on Instagram and dropped a single word, “cap,” under a video clip from Tatum’s ‘Summer of Jayson’ docuseries. If you’re not hip, “cap” means exaggeration or a lie. Tatum, in that docuseries clip, recalled being absolutely stunned by the news that Boston had traded Brown, his teammate of nine seasons, to Philadelphia back on July 1. Brown clearly wasn’t buying it. Tatum, however, wants to bury this online speculation ASAP and just move on.
“I understand we in the entertainment business,” Tatum said after the Knicks game. “Me personally, I’m not much of an off-the-court entertainment type of guy. For me, I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him.” He explained that he was in Las Vegas when the trade went down and that Celtics player development coach God Shammgod Jr. broke the news to him. Tatum claims Philadelphia being the destination for Brown caught him “off guard,” just like everyone else. He even shared a goodbye message on Instagram to Brown two days after the blockbuster deal.
Silence, Snubs, and Unanswered Calls
Communication between the two stayed totally under wraps for months after the trade, opening the door wide open for everyone to jump to conclusions. Neither Tatum nor Brown really spoke out about their split in detail, with Brown keeping his answers vague at media day in Philadelphia, and Tatum only briefly touching on it at Boston’s media day. Then, when the Celtics hosted the Sixers in the preseason a little over a week ago, Tatum and Brown warmed up at the same time, but get this: they were on direct opposite ends of the court! When they finished, no eye contact, no greetings, just straight to their respective tunnels like they were actively avoiding each other.
It seems like they haven’t spoken since the trade, even though Tatum claims he made multiple attempts shortly after Boston pulled the trigger. He’s still open to having that conversation with Brown whenever the 2024 NBA Finals MVP is ready. “I reached out to him the day he got traded,” Tatum shared. “I called him. I texted him. And I understand people process things differently.” It sounds like Tatum is ready to move forward, but the ball, apparently, is in Brown’s court.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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