The Boston Celtics are at the nexus of basketball history: They are 18-time NBA Champions, with the first Black head coach and first All-Black starting five, and hold the most retired numbers in the league. Since the inception of the sport an hour-and-change away in Springfield, Mass., Boston’s catalogue of success has been proven legitimate, from Bill Russell’s ‘60s heyday through Isaiah Thomas’ underdog mythmaking in the last decade.
A massive portion of the team’s current firepower comes from forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the dynamic wing duo who have played in five Eastern Conference Finals and two Finals. With an Eastern Conference Finals MVP each — and a Finals MVP for Brown — they have been a force to be reckoned with across the league dating back to when they were drafted in 2016 and 2017, respectively. One could say they embody the best of the Eastern Conference, and the best of basketball’s competitive spirit. If you want to make it to the NBA’s promised land, you have to go through Tatum and Brown.
However, their continuous synergy and tandem success for over a decade has unfortunately bred outside noise — with the two players seemingly getting a serious lack of respect in the conference. All too common in the league, this negative discourse occurs when a player is not playing to fan’s expectations; and yet, both Brown and Tatum have exceeded expectations, all while being less than 30 years old.
While there have been moments like their collapse in the 2022 Finals, or the 2023 ECF where they lost to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat, they immediately course corrected the following season and won the 2024 Finals. Instead, the problem is that Tatum and Brown’s immense feats are so numerous that they are constantly pitted against each other to bring the other down.
Brown went down with a wrist injury before the 2021 postseason. Tatum’s heroic 50 points to avoid a sweep from the Brooklyn Nets was the talk of the Celtics’ offseason, but it was immediately contrasted with Brown’s absence in the series. Subsequently, trade rumors arose with Brown’s name attached. Most notably, was a mock trade to pair a prime Kevin Durant with Tatum by sending Brown to the team they were just eliminated by. These talks continued through the next season, with The Athletic revealing that the Celtics offered a package following Durant’s trade request.
Following an incredible midseason turnaround, the Celtics made the Finals in 2022. They fell short, with Brown leaving his game all on the court, averaging 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists against the victorious Golden State Warriors. While he was in good graces with fans and the media following the loss, Brown’s performance was immediately juxtaposed with that of Tatum, who fans believed underperformed throughout the series.
Soon, instead of trade rumors, a new question — perpetuated by major sports news outlets such as ESPN and Bleacher Report — arose: “Who’s team is it, Brown’s or Tatum’s?”
This dichotomy has seemed to stick around even today. Outlets such as First Take and celebrity analyst Stephen A. Smith frequently group Brown’s disappointing 2023 ECF with Tatum’s injury in Game 7; Brown winning Finals MVP with questions of if Tatum was robbed; and currently, Brown’s stellar season and Tatum’s place on the team following a major achilles injury.
There can never be one focal point without questioning one of them. Instead of Tatum and Brown, a narrative of Tatum versus Brown emerges.
But this has never been the case among the two stars. Because little is known about their off-camera relationship, it leads many to speculate, and oftentimes narratives manifest into assertions. The “rift” that has been placed on Tatum and Brown is entirely manufactured, even if past teammates have attempted to legitimize it in the media.
“I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys pass the ball,” said ex-Celtic Marcus Smart after a three-game losing streak in 2021. “They don’t want to pass the ball …That’s something that they’re going to learn … They’re still learning.”
Nevertheless, Tatum and Brown are both phenomenal athletes — in part due to the excellent development system of the Boston Celtics — who know they are a two-punch combo. It is of utmost importance to understand that these two have persevered past this constant comparison since their success began, with a championship and several playoff accolades to show for it.
“I share this with my brothers, and my partner in crime, Jayson Tatum,” Brown said upon accepting his Finals MVP award. “He was with me the whole way, and we did it together.”
There are a plethora of turbulent relationships among NBA stars, and with the unforgiving nature of front offices, anyone can be gone at any time. We saw this with the gut-wrenching trade that sent Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers. Moves happen all over the league, but Tatum and Brown have shown their resilience and cooperation time after time, and it is a quality that many teams desire.
Their resilience is a privilege to have for the Boston Celtics, and their success continues as they’ve secured more than 50 wins — once again — for the 2026 season.