Jayson Tatum was in Las Vegas, fresh off a pickup basketball game, when ESPN insider Shams Charania approached him with a towel and news that would change the course of his Boston Celtics career.
Charania wanted him to cover his face before delivering the message: The Celtics had traded Jaylen Brown.
The destination made the revelation even harder to believe.
“We was in Vegas. I just got done playing pickup the first day,” Tatum recalled in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
“[Shams] walked over. He handed me the towel. He’s like, ‘Yo, put this over your face. Don’t react. They just traded him.'”
Tatum immediately asked where Brown was headed.
“Philly,” Charania told him.
“We traded him down the street?” Tatum recalled asking.
The six-time All-Star acknowledged he was stunned by the blockbuster deal that sent his longtime teammate to Philadelphia in exchange for Paul George and four draft picks.
“So, I was just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world,” Tatum said.
Jayson Tatum Reflects on Nine Years With Jaylen Brown
Brown’s departure ended one of the NBA’s most successful partnerships.
Since Tatum arrived in 2017, the two stars had grown into Boston’s championship foundation, overcoming playoff disappointments and years of speculation about whether they could coexist.
Their partnership ultimately produced the 2024 NBA championship, with Brown earning Finals MVP honors.
“Jayson and Jaylen, like you won’t ever be able to talk about one of us without the other,” Tatum said.
The Celtics star also recalled the confidence he drew from sharing the court with Brown.
“I knew every time I stepped on that court that, when it was time to go to war, I looked to my left and to my right and No. 7 was over there,” Tatum said.
Their relationship went beyond individual accomplishments.
“I definitely made him better and he made me better,” Tatum said. “And we made our team better. We made this organization better.”
For Tatum, winning a championship together cemented their place in Celtics history.
“It won’t ever be forgotten,” he said.
Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum Have Contrasting Season Debuts
The former teammates experienced dramatically different starts to their first seasons apart Tuesday.
Brown helped Philadelphia spoil the New York Knicks‘ championship ring ceremony, contributing 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the 76ers’ 106-100 victory at Madison Square Garden.
Tatum, meanwhile, endured a frustrating afternoon in Detroit.
He scored 13 points on 6-for-23 shooting, missing all seven of his 3-point attempts, as Boston squandered a 22-point lead in a 121-113 loss to the Pistons.
Tatum did contribute 11 assists, but he managed just two points in the second half.
George, the centerpiece of Boston’s return in the Brown trade, delivered a spectacular debut with 38 points and seven 3-pointers.
Yet even George’s performance couldn’t prevent the Celtics from collapsing.
The contrasting results offered an early glimpse of how differently the two former teammates’ careers could unfold following their separation.
Tatum Embraces New Chapter Without Brown
Tatum understands the responsibility that comes with becoming Boston’s unquestioned centerpiece.
“All right, now zero, you are the guy,” Tatum said, describing the expectations surrounding his expanded role.
He spent the offseason organizing a minicamp to help his new teammates build chemistry while continuing his recovery from the Achilles injury that interrupted his career.
Tatum also made clear he intends to lead through example rather than change his personality.
“I’m not Kevin Garnett, that loud rah type of person,” he said. “That’s not my personality.”
Brown’s departure has changed the Celtics’ identity, but Tatum isn’t looking to erase their shared history.
After nine years, countless playoff battles and an NBA championship, the partnership remains an important part of his legacy.
Now, both players must find a way forward without the teammate who helped shape their careers.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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