Jayson Tatum denied any beef, and Jaylen Brown echoed the same sentiment. Yet his ‘lamb chop and gravy’ comment only added to the speculation. The new 76ers star also appeared to take a shot at his former teammate’s PR team, raising more questions about their relationship. Despite their public denials, the tension surrounding their relationship has become difficult to ignore.

The two stars built a winning partnership in Boston, reaching five Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals in 2022 and 2024. The Celtics eventually captured their 18th championship in franchise history as both players played major roles in the title run. Brown received the Finals MVP award. Baron Davis believes that outcome hit Jayson Tatum hard.

“He (Jaylen Brown) dropped his nuts in the final,” said Baron Davis on the Gil’s Arena podcast. “That’s how got the Finals MVP…What I saw in the finals Brown was gonna get it. And Jayson Tatum kept firing at the end of the game. Everybody who played his game and they mama know, like, once the series wrapped, they knew Jayson Tatum was trying to get that MVP. That s— went to Jaylen Brown, that hurt that kid man; that crushed him.”

Against the Dallas Mavericks, JB wasn’t an outright leader in production. But he still averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and five assists across the five-game series. His defense against Luka Doncic helped Boston finish the job, and voters ultimately named him Finals MVP.

But Jayson Tatum put up even bigger numbers in some areas, averaging 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. He was the leader of the offense, but his three-point shooting efficiency of 26.3% drew criticism. That is why Davis sees a potential source of frustration.

“They were never really compared until that dude until Jaylen Brown walked away with the MVP. Then it started some weird sh–.”

BD even suggested that Jayson Tatum’s late-game shot attempts reflected a push to strengthen his Finals MVP case as Brown emerged as the favorite. The debate regarding their relationship has resurfaced following the former teammates’ recent remarks.

Jayson Tatum even stated that he was caught “off guard” as the Celtics traded JB to the 76ers. But Brown believed otherwise and dropped the “????” emoji in the comments, suggesting he wasn’t buying the explanation.

Naturally, this further fueled rumors that the relationship between the two former teammates had broken down. JT then spoke about the comment, but never entertained the idea of a feud.

While Brown has also pushed back against suggestions of a personal problem, he did so in a cryptic way. “Jayson comes from a wonderful family, we’ve accomplished some great things, he’s a hell of a basketball player and he’s got a great PR team. It’s no beef, but it might be little lamb chops and some gravy, you know what I mean? He should stay ready at all times.”

His apparent criticism of Tatum’s PR team added another wrinkle. The story about the drama only grew when former Boston Celtics star Brian Scalabrine pointed words at Jaylen Brown’s behavior.

“But my understanding is Jaylen Brown went to the organization and had a list of demands. And it was like, ‘You either do this or you trade me.’ And he was rooting to get traded to Milwaukee, including calling some other teammates about, ‘Hey, man, what do you think of Milwaukee? We should go there.’”

While comments from Scal were never confirmed reports, ESPN’s Shams Charania previously stated that Jaylen Brown “never requested a trade. He never asked out of Boston.”

Additionally, Jaylen Brown’s own representative called the report “10000% a lie” when reached by ESPN after Scalabrine’s comments. According to Brown’s camp, the only request he ever made to the Celtics was that both he and Jayson Tatum be treated equally.

Over the years, critics regularly debated which star deserved the bigger role, and the team’s early playoff disappointments only intensified that discussion. Davis’ comments have now brought that moment back into focus.