Boston Celtics
“They’ve been together for [nine] years. They won a championship together — and you see, Jayson is trying to squash the lamb chop, beef, whatever it is.”
Charles Barkley wasn’t happy with Jaylen Brown’s actions on Tuesday. Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley didn’t like what he saw at the start of Tuesday’s showdown between the Celtics and 76ers.
Plenty of eyes were on both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown going into that matchup, with Brown set to face off against his former team for the first time since Boston traded him to Philly in a blockbuster deal in July.
Add in Brown’s social media digs against Tatum and his cryptic commentary about the beef — or “lamb chops and gravy,” as Brown deemed it — between him and Tatum, and Tuesday’s meeting at Xfinity Mobile Arena was one of the more anticipated games across the 2026-27 NBA season.
Ahead of tip-off, Tatum appeared to dap up his former teammate of nine years — only for Brown, who was spinning a basketball, to not acknowledge him as Tatum patted him on the chest.
Barkley, during a segment on “Inside The NBA” on Wednesday, said he didn’t like Brown’s response to Tatum’s greeting.
“I was disappointed in Jaylen Brown,” Barkley said. “I mean, just like — give a man a hug. Y’all been together. [Shams Charania] said it. They’ve been together for [nine] years. They won a championship together — and you see, Jayson is trying to squash the lamb chop, beef, whatever it is. But I was disappointed in Jaylen Brown.”
Tatum and the Celtics ultimately had the last laugh, with Boston leaving Philadelphia with a 123-101 win over the Sixers.
Brown struggled in his first game against Tatum, scoring just 13 points and committing four turnovers with a team-worst minus-27 over 26 minutes
After the loss, Brown was asked about the cold shoulder he gave Tatum ahead of tip-off.
“I’m just focused on coming out and doing what’s best for my team,” Brown said postgame. “Everything else was just, to be honest, I wasn’t paying attention. But credit to Jayson. He played well tonight. Credit to the Celtics; they executed. They shot the hell out of the ball, and they were the better team tonight.”
While Barkley didn’t mince words about Brown’s actions, fellow “Inside The NBA” panelist Kenny Smith said that Brown might have a valid reason for his hostility toward Tatum and the Celtics.
“You don’t have to give a hug to your ex,” Smith said. “You don’t have to. … However, in his mind, and even in anyone’s mind — you would say, ‘If Jayson Tatum said, ‘I don’t want this guy traded,’ he would still be there. That’s what he’s thinking.
“He’s like, whatever’s happening, and whoever did what, all you had to say was no. Even if [the trade] still happened, he probably wanted him to say no. And that’s where the lamb chop comes, and not the beef.”
Fellow NBA Hall of Famer Chris Webber also expected Brown to at least acknowledge Tatum before they competed on the hardwood.
“I was disappointed in Jaylen because I wanted Jaylen to have a good game … You know, when boxers get in the ring, they at least look at each other first,” Webber said. “And to me, I could tell he spun the ball on purpose to avoid it. But at the same time, I’m looking forward to him going back to Boston.”
Brown will likely have a chance to try to get even with Tatum and the Celtics when he returns to Boston in an anticipated rematch on Jan. 21.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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