Joe Mazzulla rips narrative surrounding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s relationship
“The whole thing about that really pisses me off. I think it’s unfair to both of them.”
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Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla doesn’t want to hear about whether or not you think Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are actually friends, or which you think is better on the court.
With less than one week before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Boston and the Dallas Mavericks, there isn’t much to discuss but hypotheticals. The “Do Tatum and Brown really like each other?” and “who’s more important to the Celtics?” questions will certainly continue to be thrown around until then.
Mazzulla made it clear that he isn’t a fan of the never-ending, negative narratives surrounding their relationship when asked about it on Friday.
“I’m kind of praying about how deep I really want to get into that, because the whole thing about that really pisses me off,” he told reporters during a press conference. “I think it’s unfair to both of them. I think it’s stupid that people have to use those two guys’ names and use information that they don’t know so they can create clickbait so that they can stay relevant.
“It’s really unfair that those two get compared. They’re two completely different people, two completely different players. They’re great teammates, they love each other. They go about winning and they go about their process in a different way. So why they have to always be lumped together, I think is unfair.”
Tatum and Brown’s friendship has been questioned for as long as they’ve been teammates. Fans and the media have often portrayed them as disliking one another mainly because they aren’t seen hanging out together off the court.
The latest accusation from media personalities alleging a lack of love between Tatum and Brown came following Brown being awarded the 2024 Larry Bird trophy (Eastern Conference finals MVP). ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ crew suggested Tatum was the only member of the Celtics who wasn’t happy for Brown winning the award, although footage of the celebration shows a smiling Tatum celebrating the player’s accomplishment with the rest of the team.
Mazzulla, who has been a coach in Boston since 2019 and has thus known the pair for much of their NBA careers, wishes this topic of conversation would end.
“They should get to know them as people before they talk about that,” he said. “They’re two of the greatest teammates and players that you could have and it’s been an honor to coach both of them. It doesn’t mean they have to be the same. So it’s [expletive]. I love both of them and they deserve better.”
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