On Sunday, after dinner, I called my mother, in Indiana. She had a question before I could even say hello: what is going on between the two boys in Boston?
I told her what BeBasket reports. Jaylen Brown is now at the Sixers. He spent nine seasons with Jayson Tatum in Boston, they won the title in 2024, and they were separated this summer. Tatum says he learned about the trade at the same time as everyone else. Brown says Tatum knew and could have helped behind the scenes. And Brown went on a show, The Old Man and The Three, where he said the NBA is “a lot of egos, a lot of money and a lot of emotions”, like politics.
She asked me who was right. I said I had no idea, and that nobody had called to ask my opinion. Let me tell you, you learn quickly here not to rule on something when you weren’t in the dressing room.
It took me back to 2000. I arrived in Charleroi with one bag, for one year. Nobody traded me, nobody did a show. My wife extended the contract. I never had two versions of my story: I have one, and it has badminton lines.
My mother wanted to know how Boston was doing without Brown. Three wins, one defeat. She made a small noise, the one she makes when someone defends properly.
Then she told me one thing. Versions change every year. Nine seasons together and a title in 2024, that stays written down somewhere, for both of them.
I said that was fundamentals, more or less. She said: see?
It’s true, we checked: BeBasket.
