Jaylen Brown ignores Tatum, then finishes with a brutal -27

No hugs, no smiles and, apparently, not even a hello. The first meeting between Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as opponents was hardly a reunion between old friends. And for Brown, things ended up going even worse than expected.

After nine seasons together with the Boston Celtics and an NBA championship in 2024, the two found themselves on opposite sides as Boston cruised to a 123-101 win over Philadelphia.

But before tipoff, it was a telling exchange that got people talking.

Tatum tries to greet Brown and gets ignored

In the days leading up to the game, Brown had already made it clear that he wasn’t particularly interested in reconnecting with his former teammate.

We have nothing to talk about

Jaylen Brown

Judging by what happened before the game, he wasn’t kidding.

As Brown stood at midcourt spinning a basketball, Tatum walked over to greet him, reaching out and touching him on the chest.

The response? Virtually nothing.

Brown kept acting as if Tatum weren’t there, so the Celtics star moved on and said hello to LeBron James, who was standing next to Brown. The scene inevitably drew attention, especially after what had been said about their relationship in recent weeks.

Asked about the incident after the game, Jaylen Brown chose not to fuel the discussion.

I’m focused on what’s best for my team. As for the rest, honestly, I wasn’t paying attention. But credit to Jayson. He played well tonight

Jaylen Brown

Jayson Tatum also chose not to make much of it.

I don’t want to make headlines over this stuff. I was just focused on the game, ready to compete, have fun and try to win

Jayson Tatum

On the court, though, things went considerably worse for Jaylen Brown. After scoring 30 points against Detroit and 29 against Chicago, the former Celtic finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 turnovers and a brutal minus-27, the worst plus-minus in the game.

I was looking forward to this game. I wanted to play well, but these things happen. I guess now we have to move on to the next one

Jaylen Brown

Between foul trouble and a struggle to find his rhythm, Brown never really got into the game. It wasn’t the reunion with Boston he’d imagined.

The 76ers forward pushed back on the idea that tension with Tatum had affected his performance.

I didn’t let my emotions affect me. I was focused and ready to play. Foul trouble threw off my rhythm a little. I had to sit for a long time, and we didn’t execute as well as they did

Jaylen Brown

It’s hard to say how much the emotions surrounding the game mattered, especially since Brown insisted he was fully focused. What’s clear is that his first game against his former team didn’t go the way he’d hoped. And Boston didn’t cut him any slack.