If it wasn’t obvious enough heading into Tuesday night, it’s crystal clear now: Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum is a rivalry.

The two former teammates met for the first time as opponents Tuesday night in Philadelphia, a game in which Tatum and the Celtics ran Brown and the 76ers out of the gym in a 123–101 victory. Paul George dropped 36 points, reminding everyone that he was the Celtics’ prized acquisition in the blockbuster Jaylen Brown trade, and he’s arguably a more natural fit as a complementary piece next to Tatum than Brown ever was. 

The game itself wasn’t too compelling. Boston led for nearly the entire game. What was most interesting, though, is what happened between Tatum and Brown before the opening tip. 

When former-teammates-turned-opponents match up in the NBA, it’s pretty standard practice to share a quick chat during warmups. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson did it just the other day. But Tatum and Brown did not interact at all—not at shootaround, not in pregame warmups. As 76ers and Celtics players greeted each other on the floor moments before the opening tip, Tatum approached Brown and tried to dap him up. Brown did not look up or acknowledge his former teammate of nine years.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum before tipoff.

(📺 NBC) pic.twitter.com/gs8XPSPQZT

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 11, 2026

Tatum then gave LeBron James a hug and seemed to shrug off Brown ignoring him. That moment was further confirmation to Tatum and the millions watching on television that this is, indeed, a rivalry.

“To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention,” Brown said of snubbing Tatum before the opening tip. “But credit to Jayson, he played well tonight.”

As Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix spelled out in October, the relationship between Tatum and Brown grew complicated long before the trade. They spent nine seasons as teammates together and were cordial while winning a heck of a lot of ball games. But they certainly weren’t buddy-buddy. Trade rumors often followed Brown around in the offseason but not Tatum; he was crowned the face of the franchise.

Then, after much speculation, the 76ers-Celtics trade went down in July. On a YouTube documentary, Tatum said he was shocked by the move. Brown called B.S. by commenting a “cap” emoji on the video. The two have had to address their dynamic in the media ever since with Tatum downplaying their back-and-forth. Brown, meanwhile, had every opportunity to swat down any semblance of a feud, but he kept the storyline alive with his pointed comments. 

“This ain’t no f---ing Shaq and Kobe,” Tatum said. “There’s no beef.”

“There’s no beef,” Brown agreed, “but, you know, it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”

Rivalry.

Tuesday night exposed the lamb chops and gravy. Perhaps there is a tiny bit of Shaq and Kobe in the dynamic of the “Jays” these days. (Just, uh, nowhere near as toxic—the two Lakers legends talked smack about one another as teammates in Los Angeles, and after the trade Shaq refused to mention Bryant by name.)

Tatum and Brown are a pair of All-Stars who spent nine seasons together and won a championship. Bryant and O’Neal played eight seasons together and won three titles. The Celtics chose Tatum as the face of the franchise and traded away Brown to a contender. The Lakers chose Bryant as the face of the franchise and traded away O’Neal to a contender. 

Bryant and O’Neal matched up for the first time as opponents following the Lakers-Heat trade on Christmas Day in 2004 in Los Angeles. It was a game to remember. Just like Tatum and Brown, Bryant and O’Neal shared a bit of an awkward greeting before the game. Bryant, the face of the franchise, made the effort to walk over to the begrudged O’Neal and dap him up. Just like Tatum. O’Neal, to his credit, obliged by patting him back but refused to look him in the eye. Just like Brown.

Here’s how Shaq and Kobe greeted each other before their first game after the Lakers-Heat trade. https://t.co/HcsG0jlY8s pic.twitter.com/Hw8mMpvREO

— Tom Dierberger (@tomdierberger) November 11, 2026

A rivalry.

That game on Christmas Day played out like it was a Hallmark holiday movie. A storybook finish. It went into overtime, and Bryant, who scored 42 points, missed a game-winning three-pointer over Dwyane Wade at the buzzer. The Lakers lost 104–102. O’Neal sounded off after the game.

“I knew that it wasn’t going to go in,” O’Neal said of Bryant’s last-second shot. “Because my team came out and they played well. I fouled out; I felt I let them down a little bit. … That’s all we wanted to do, come here and win. We’re not trying to score 50 or 60 points and try to outdo anybody. We just wanted to play good team ball, and that’s what we did today.”

It’s pretty easy to read between the lines there.

Following Tuesday night’s game, neither Tatum nor Brown pulled a Shaq and said anything spicy. Or remotely interesting, really. “All the hoopla is over,” Tatum said. “Give credit to them,” Brown said. But had Tatum missed a game-winning trey at the buzzer in a highly contested game, it’s not too difficult to imagine Brown having a few words to say.

Instead, Brown had to eat a slice of humble pie. He found himself in foul trouble early and finished the game with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting with four turnovers in 26 minutes. Brown was a game-worst -27 in plus/minus. That holiday night against Bryant, O’Neal didn’t play up to his standards, either. He fouled out with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter and had to watch overtime on the bench. It’s what can happen on an emotionally-charged night.  

The NBA needs more player vs. player rivalries. It’s good for the league. The on-court beef between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren is what makes the rise of the Spurs and Thunder in the West so compelling. The Celtics and 76ers will always be rivals in the eyes of the fans, but when the players start taking it personally, that’s when rivalries graduate to the next level. Tatum and Brown insist there’s no beef off the floor, but on the floor? Rivals. 

There’s more matchups to come. These two teams will meet three more times this season, including Jan. 21 at TD Garden, which will mark Brown’s return to Boston. It’s very possible the Celtics and 76ers go head-to-head in the playoffs, too. 

It’s a rivalry. And that’s great for the NBA. More of this, please.

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