Jayson Tatum will always be appreciative of the time he had with Jaylen Brown in the Boston Celtics.
On SiriusXM NBA Radio, Tatum offered a new, special, and insightful statement about his former co-superstar.
"We had nine incredible years together, five Conference Finals appearances, and two Finals appearances, we won the championship, we did it," Tatum said. "We accomplished the ultimate goal. I'll forever be thankful for being able to share the court with him. I feel like we both learned a lot from each other. We both complement each other well, we push each other. So, obviously, from now until the end of time, we speak about our careers.
"You won't be able to say one without the other, and I'm thankful for that."
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown set for rivalry after nearly a decade of partnership
As part of the unforeseen and wild 2026 NBA offseason, the Boston Celtics sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, a 2028 first-round pick, a 2031 first-round pick, and two future second-round picks.
The deal officially broke up one of the league's most dynamic and successful duos, as Brown and Tatum will go from being longtime teammates to now staunch opponents.
Both superstars have gone through the ups and downs since being chosen by the Celtics as their marquee top selections in 2016 and 2017. Tatum and Brown coexisted as the team's two superstars with their elite talent and scoring, securing All-Star appearances and All-NBA honors.
From leading Boston to multiple playoff appearances and winning seasons, the two truly got the job done when they guided the Celtics to their 18th NBA championship banner.
While they are now about to go head-to-head to kickstart a new era of the storied Celtics-76ers rivalry, Tatum still has nothing but admiration for the special basketball bond and memories he built with Brown.