Jaylen Brown calls 'cap' on Jayson Tatum's recollection of stunning Celtics-76ers trade

Brown popped up in the Instagram comments of a clip from Tatum's documentary

Oct 23, 2026 at 12:27 pm ET • 2 min read

Jaylen Brown appeared to take a shot at former teammate Jayson Tatum on social media late Thursday night, continuing a drama-filled start to the 2026-27 NBA season. Using the blue hat emoji, Brown called "cap" on Tatum's recollection of the stunning trade that sent Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and ended Tatum and Brown's nine-season run together with the Boston Celtics. 

In other words, Brown insinuated that Tatum is lying -- though about what, specifically, is unclear. 

Tatum released the latest episode of his YouTube documentary series, "Summer of Jayson," on Thursday, and in it, he detailed his reaction to finding out about the trade. Tatum was in Las Vegas at the time and had just come off the court from a workout when Celtics player development coach God Shammgod Jr. broke the news to him. 

"[Shammgod] handed me a towel," Tatum said. "He was like, 'Yo, put this over your face. Don't react. They just traded him.' I'm like, 'Oh, shit.' I'm like, 'Where?' He said, 'Philly.' I said, 'You traded him down the street?' So I was just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world." 

Bleacher Report posted the clip on Instagram, and Brown responded in the comments. 

During the summer, Celtics president Brad Stevens said he did not consult with Tatum about the trade. 

"Jayson is a friend of Jaylen. We have not talked in great depth about that. I think that, again, I didn't keep him in the loop, I didn't talk to him the next day. I didn't want to put that on him or anyone else that's in the playing group," Stevens said. "I know how little I sleep. Nobody else needs to feel that. I think ultimately, when you put in the work and the sweat with somebody for nine years, there's obviously gonna be a great appreciation for that person."

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In the documentary episode, Tatum spoke about his relationship with Brown and the legacy that they created in Boston. During their nine seasons together, the Celtics won the 2024 title, made the 2022 Finals, went to five Eastern Conference Finals and never missed the playoffs. 

"I will always say that that I knew every time I stepped on that court that when it was time to go to war, I looked to my left and my right and No. 7 was over there, I knew that he was going to do whatever it took for us to try to win," Tatum said. "The way we pushed each other, I definitely made him better, and he made me better. And we made our team better, we made this organization better. We won a championship. Like, we are forever stitched in stone in NBA history. We held up that trophy. It won't ever be forgotten."

Brown, when introduced by the 76ers in August, expressed disappointment with how the Celtics handled the trade and said "not really" when asked whether he and Tatum had spoken since the deal.

"We won a championship together," Brown said. "Anybody that you win a championship with, you would think, like, that's what a brotherhood or a lifelong legacy would entail. Obviously, there's ups and downs in any type of relationship. But on my end, there's nothing but respect. Besides when he plays the Sixers, I hope he does well. Other than that, everything from me is based in respect."