NBC Plays Up Tatum-Brown Rivalry With Netflix-Style Open

The NBA’s broadcast partners gave Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum the Shaq and Kobe treatment.

On Tuesday, the former Celtics teammates of nine seasons faced-off for the first time since Brown was traded to the Sixers in July, in a game that was broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.

The tension between Brown and Tatum has been brewing for years, but got louder in May when Brown said on a livestream that the 2025–26 season was “the most fun season I’ve ever had.” Tatum missed most of the season with an Achilles injury, giving Brown free reign to lead the Celtics to a 56–26 record.

Boston traded Brown away two months later.

In late October, Tatum said he was “caught off guard” by the trade, to which Brown responded with a cap emoji—suggesting Tatum was lying. After his comment, Brown was asked whether there was beef between the two, to which he responded: “There’s no beef, but it might be a little lamb chomps and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.” (He repeated the “lamb chops and gravy” joke twice.)

NBC’s broadcast Tuesday homed in on the tension between the two All-Stars, including the addition of a pregame hype video in the style of a Netflix tell-all documentary—a trend that has swept social media in recent months. 

The video referenced several other high-profile break-ups: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant; Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook; the former Celtics Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen; and LeBron James leaving Cleveland for the first time in 2010.

“Some break-ups are more dramatic than others,” Noah Eagle said in the video’s voiceover. 

NBC’s pregame show also had a lengthy discussion about Brown and Tatum, where Tracy McGrady called out the NBA for not scheduling their first meeting in Boston.

“I love my guys at the NBA, Adam, all of them. But man, this game should’ve been in Boston,” McGrady said.

ESPN, which did not broadcast the game and will only broadcast the final of four meetings between the two teams in March, also built up the game on its airwaves. NBA Today aired a segment with reporter Kris Rhim from Philadelphia, who brought out an actual lamb chop as a prop to talk about the breakup.

The game broadcast put the two players in a split screen before the game, which caused the live shot to only catch a portion of the awkward exchange between the two. Brown was spinning a ball on his finger while Tatum tapped his former teammate’s chest. 

Brown did not appear to respond. 

The broadcast had to show a replay of the interaction in a separate angle later a minute into the game. 

Boston dominated Philadelphia, blowing out the Sixers, 123–101, led by 36 points from Paul George, the key piece of the trade package for Brown. Tatum finished with 21 points, while Brown struggled with foul trouble and scored 13 points. 

After the game, Brown did not appear to shake hands with Tatum, though he did acknowledge many other Boston players and coaches. 

Asked by reporters after the game about not speaking to Tatum, Brown said: “I’m just focused on coming out and doing what’s best for my team … To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention. But credit to Jayson, he played well today.”

It remains to be seen whether the saga between the two—and the broadcast partners’ willingness to highlight it—will result in more attention.

The viewership numbers for Tuesday night’s game should be out Thursday—and may be helped by the Veteran’s Day holiday that followed Wednesday, despite the Celtics’ blowout win.

But similar games have brought strong audiences in the past. 

Durant’s first game back in Oklahoma City in 2017 delivered a four-year ratings record. James’s first game back in Cleveland in December 2010 drew more than seven million viewers, which is the draw for a Conference Finals game these days. 

The Celtics and Sixers have three more meetings this season:

• Jan. 21 in Boston (Prime Video)
• Feb. 7 in Philadelphia (NBC)
• Mar. 7 in Boston (ABC/ESPN)