Jaylen Brown is rewriting an old narrative with a new chapter in Philadelphia

FOR MUCH OF his decade-long career with the Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown spent time answering questions about his role. Critics wondered whether he and Jayson Tatum could coexist, speculated about whose team it was. Both players, their teammates and coaches were aware of the narrative. "The media wants to kind of sometimes write the story that pulls us apart," Brown said in 2021. "But we talk a lot. We don't let it bother us." So as Brown -- now a Philadelphia 76er after Boston traded him this offseason -- sat at Sixers media day a month ago, a reporter asked him: "Do you guys know who the alpha is?" There were years of frustration loaded into Brown's smirk and two-word response: "Next question." Four months into his Sixers tenure, Brown has again fielded questions about his relationship with his former running mate in Boston, partly because of a social media firestorm Brown started. It has led to back-and-forth comments between Brown and Tatum, and a report from NBC Sports and Celtics TV analyst Brian Scalabrine about Brown's "demands" and "trade request" in Boston. Scalabrine later walked back his comments about Brown asking for a trade. A source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that there was no truth to the report. Instead, the source said, Brown discovered his former team had tried -- and failed -- to trade him to the Milwaukee Bucks while he was on vacation over the summer. The one thing Brown did ask for, the source said, was to be involved in the process of where he was traded. The Celtics ignored the request and sent him 300 miles southwest to Philadelphia. So Brown finds himself in a familiar position: On a team he didn't choose laden with star power, trying to establish a role that will lead his squad to a title. On Tuesday, he and Tatum will face off for the first time as opponents -- leading the top two teams in the Eastern Conference -- as the Sixers (9-2) take on the Celtics (8-2) (8 p.m. ET, NBC). Brown has no plans to repair the relationship -- which he said isn't beef but "lamb chops and some gravy" -- with his former co-star. "There's nothing to talk about. I mean, he's on his side, I'm on my side," Brown said Sunday. "Both of us are trying to win, so it's nothing to talk about. Just check the ball up. "I love Boston. Boston's a great city. A lot of people I developed a relationship with, but I'm just focused on what's in front of me right now." BROWN WAS ON a monthlong vacation that spanned China, Africa and Europe when he learned that the Celtics had tried to trade him to the Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo got traded to the Miami Heat on June 22, and Brown was left wondering about his future in Boston. He let the Celtics know that despite the failed trade he was willing to remain in Boston, but the team informed him he would be dealt anyway, the source told ESPN. The team decided to trade Brown because his and Tatum's massive contracts made it difficult to build a sustained contender, general manager Brad Stevens later explained. As the Celtics continued to explore the market for Brown after the failed Antetokounmpo trade, Brown asked to have a say in where he was sent or at minimum be given a heads-up on the destination. But he learned he'd be going to the Sixers only after the deal was finalized. Brown reacted to the trade on his Twitch stream a day later, where he said he felt like there was a "lack of respect" for him during the process. He said he wasn't thrilled with the way Stevens "facilitated some of the conversations" but believed there was "more to it." "There was definitely a message being sent, and that message was received," Brown said. "I just wish the more to it could have been explained to me. "I thought I earned respect enough to get that explanation, but obviously I was wrong." The Celtics declined to comment for this story, instead pointing to Stevens' remarks on the trade. Stevens said in July that he didn't keep Tatum in the loop about trading Brown, nor did he speak with Tatum the next day. "I didn't want to put that on him or anyone else in the playing group," Stevens said. He also said that neither the Celtics nor Brown was disgruntled with the other. Brown and Tatum spent nine years together in Boston, going from fledgling teenagers to one of the most successful pairings of their era, winning a title in 2024 that ended a 16-year drought for one of the league's most successful franchises. "I think Jayson and Jaylen have had a remarkable partnership where they complemented each other great," Stevens said. But when Brown and Tatum saw each other for the first time since the trade during an Oct. 10 preseason game in Boston, they acted like they didn't know each other. Tatum went through an on-court workout on Boston's home floor. Brown did the same on the other end, at times just an arm's length away from his former costar. They never acknowledged one another, and each headed to his respective locker room. It was the first clear indication there was tension between these former costars, which has intensified in recent weeks. It all started when Brown commented with a blue hat emoji -- a symbol for "cap," slang for someone lying -- on Instagram in response to Tatum saying in a video on his YouTube channel that he was "just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world" by Brown's trade. "There's no beef. It's not about that. It should be more praise," Tatum said a day later. "I understand drama gets clicks and views, but I'm not really into that. I'm not blaming everybody for how they feel. Everybody is entitled to their own feelings, and we all go through different things in our lives." Two days later, Brown had a different tone, insisting there was "no beef" between them but adding that there "might be a little lamb chops and some gravy." He also repeated multiple times that Tatum had a "hell of a PR team." "He should stay ready at all times," Brown added. Brown declined to address why he posted the cap emoji under Tatum's post, instead saying he and Tatum are focused on what's ahead. Tatum said he called and texted Brown when the trade happened and would welcome a conversation with him to hash out the potential issue. But Brown has said multiple times since that he isn't interested in speaking to Tatum. "We both got so much stuff in front of us," Brown said. "So at the end of the day ... he got to do what he's got to do for his team. I got to do what I do for my team." TYRESE MAXEY HIT a 3-pointer to cut a 29-point Cleveland Cavaliers lead to 10 during the second game of the season, which prompted a Cavs timeout. The Sixers guard walked toward the home crowd in celebration with Brown trailing close behind. The two yelled toward the Philadelphia crowd -- and the crowd yelled back. On this team with Brown, a former Finals MVP, and LeBron James and Joel Embiid, two former NBA MVPs, it is Maxey who has been the best player and go-to scorer. "This is his team," Brown said after a recent Sixers win over the Bulls. Brown's willingness to take a back seat to Maxey comes as a surprise for many reasons, most notably his history. Brown wanted to be treated as an equal in Boston, a spot he seemingly believed he earned based on a decade with the team where he evolved into one of the league's best players. Albeit early, that hasn't been the case in Philadelphia. Brown has had no desire to leave any room in Philadelphia for questions about sharing the spotlight that he faced for a decade in Boston. So far in Philly, his transition has been without issue. "He's been seamless," Embiid said. "I think he's adjusted pretty well." Coach Nick Nurse has praised Brown's toughness, routinely calling him a winner. Nurse often shies away from declaring anyone on the team the alpha or go-to player but routinely mentions Brown among others when those conversations arise. In an interview with ESPN, Nurse said Brown's passion for winning -- and his championship experience -- have rubbed off on the team already. "His teams have won at a super high clip. He plays winning basketball at both ends of the floor, and his just physical toughness are hard to find," Nurse told ESPN. "The way he cares about winning it transcends to the rest of the team just being that great a player who has that kind of mindset." Throughout the start of the season, Brown has buoyed the Sixers in crucial moments with his defense and scoring. In that comeback win over Cleveland, for example, he scored six straight points in the fourth quarter to help put the game away. Then against the Detroit Pistons, he scored a season-high 30 points and had a game-saving block on guard Cade Cunningham. "His stamina, his strength, his mentality is great for our ballclub," James said. "It sets the tone, and he can do it on both ends of the floor. He's one of the best, if not the best, two-way player in our game today." Maxey echoed Nurse's and James' sentiments. "He's something that we really needed, honestly," he said. "We like having him on our team instead of guarding him all the time." After the Pistons game, a mob of reporters headed to Maxey, who had what was then his lowest-scoring game of the season. Brown was attempting to leave the locker room when a Sixers communications member stopped him to speak to the press; just three media members left Maxey to speak to Brown. In many ways, the moment was a reflection of the role he's accepted in Philadelphia -- a place he never thought or asked to be -- as a willing sidekick. "I'm the new guy here, so I'm adjusting," Brown said. "I'm just trying to complement, build off of what these guys have already built here in Philadelphia."