Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s relationship has been under the microscope this offseason, with reports claiming all wasn’t well between the former Boston Celtics co-stars. Tatum has denied that being the case, but he delivered a speech about leadership to campers in St. Louis recently, which has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.
“Being a leader doesn’t mean you know it all, right?” Tatum said. “I don’t know it all. I’ll be the first person to say that… Being around somebody who feel like they know it all, I don’t want to be around that person. I don’t want to be the smartest person in the room. I wanna learn from somebody else.”
Jayson Tatum shares a motivational message on being a leader:
“Being around somebody that feels like they know it all, I don’t wanna be around that person. I don’t wanna be the smartest person in the room, I want to learn from somebody else.”
(h/t @lockedupjb) pic.twitter.com/VIqMq85tJw
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 25, 2026
NBA fans are convinced Tatum was throwing shade at Brown here.
“N***a definitely throwing shots at JB,” a fan is sure Tatum was firing shots at Brown.
“Bro still mad Jaylen Brown won Finals MVP, and he didn’t,” one fan believes hasn’t gotten over Brown winning Finals MVP in 2024.
“Seems like shots are being fired already. Next Season about to be a movie,” one can’t wait to see these two play each other next season.
“This mfker. I knew he was a damn snake,” a fan called Tatum a snake.
“Probably would’ve been a nice speech any other offseason,” a Celtics fan lamented the timing of this speech.
Now, for those unaware, Colin Cowherd had shared some negative reports regarding Brown after he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks. Cowherd said he had heard that the five-time All-Star has a disease where he thinks he is the smartest guy in every room he is in.
“I had two NBA sources tell me tonight, one an executive and one a scout, that Jaylen Brown has… it’s almost like a disease,” Cowherd said. “He suddenly thinks he’s the smartest guy in every room he’s in.”
“I’ve worked with people in the media like that,” Cowherd added. “It’s a really bad place to be. You make a lot of money, and suddenly you’re absolutely convinced you’re right about everything… And by the way, one executive told me this has always been a little bit of Jaylen Brown’s personality. He wants to be the smartest guy in the room.”
For Tatum to mention the smartest person in the room bit is either a crazy coincidence or a shot. It’s probably a coincidence, but you understand why fans believe this was absolutely a shot. There were surely other ways Tatum could have gotten his point across. The 28-year-old has given credence to the notion that all wasn’t well between them.
NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Tatum and Brown’s personal relationship was non-existent over the last year. There weren’t issues on the court, but there was no relationship off it.
Tatum dismissed the report and said he had nothing but love and respect for Brown. He also claimed the media had tried to pit them against each other.
Brown, though, appears to be upset that Tatum didn’t go to the Celtics front office and tell them not to trade him. There is some spice here, and their first game against each other is going to be must-watch television.
