When the Boston Celtics won the 2024 NBA championship, Jaylen Brown was named NBA Finals MVP.
Brown played exceptional two-way basketball in that Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks, locking up Luka Doncic. However, the decision could have gone another way, as Jayson Tatum also delivered an all-around performance en route to a championship.
In a recent interview, Brown said he was surprised to be named Finals MVP.
“I didn’t play to win an award. When they gave me MVP — they gave me two MVPs, by the way — just for those, you know what I mean,” Brown said. “But when I won, I was never expecting that, I didn’t care nothing about that. … So when I won, I was shocked. You can see it on my face that I was shocked, and it didn’t change [my] reaction if anybody else won.”
Interestingly, Brown then hinted that Tatum may not have been too pleased with the decision.
“But that isn’t always the case when the shoe is on the other foot.”
Ok, so we’re probably reading the tea leaves here, at least a little bit. Brown never explicitly named Tatum. Still, when a team has two high-level stars, and both put in performances good enough to win the award, who else could he be talking about?
Tatum And Brown Haven’t Spoken Since The Trade
According to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Tatum and Brown ‘haven’t really spoken’ since Brad Stevens made the decision to ship Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this summer.
“I was in Philadelphia for media day,” Andrews said. “I asked Jaylen Brown whether or not he’d spoken to Jayson Tatum since the exit, and he was a little bit murky, but the essence was: ‘No, not really, I went my way, and he went his way.'”
Jaylen Brown hasn’t really spoken to Jayson Tatum since the trade, per @malika_andrews
"I was in Philadelphia for media day. I asked Jaylen Brown whether or not he'd spoken to Jayson Tatum since the exit, and he was a little bit murky, but the essence was: 'No, not really. I… pic.twitter.com/w1C2e8As4c
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 16, 2026
For the majority of their time together in Boston, Tatum and Brown faced questions about their off-court relationship. There was rampant speculation as to whether they were friends behind the scenes. Now, with Brown in Philadelphia, that speculation is still showing no sign of slowing down.
Former Celtic Says Tatum And Brown Are Friends
During a recent conversation with Heavy on Sports via Betting Sites, former Celtics player-turned-coach Evan Turner was clear in his assessment that both Tatum and Brown can not only play together but are also close friends.
“I think it’s funny ’cause I’ve seen it up close,” Turner said. “After the first few minutes when I was around ’em, I’m like, oh, these dudes don’t hate on it. Like, they like each other. They have ultimate respect for each other.”
Turner continued.
“ There was no negative, no side eye, no anything. They know who they are, they know where they’re going… Those dudes are elite and I think as young individuals, young men, you just gotta let ’em sit back and cook and let them rock this generation.”
We’re never going to know the full story of Tatum and Brown’s relationship. Nor will we know how Tatum felt about Brown winning the 2024 Finals MVP. That’s why, when little hints get dropped, our ears still perk up.
Fortunately, if Tatum does win another championship in Boston, we won’t have to debate whether he or Brown deserved the award more.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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