Jaylen Brown on Tatum, Celtics Rumors: 'We Have a Championship-Level Relationship'

Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown allayed any concerns Monday regarding his bond with teammate Jayson Tatum.

Speaking to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith (beginning at the 1:00:40 mark), Brown was asked to describe the relationship he has with Tatum:

"Me and him have a championship-level relationship," Brown said.

With Brown and Tatum leading the way, the Celtics are coming off a dominant 2023-24 season that saw them go 64-18 and win the NBA championship.

Prior to Brown and Tatum finally finishing the job, they came close to winning it all on several occasions. Boston selected Brown and Tatum third overall in back-to-back drafts, and they instantly made the Celtics contenders.

Brown has appeared in six Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals, and Tatum has made it to five Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals.

Despite that success, there were often outside whispers about the Celtics needing to break Brown and Tatum up in order to seal the deal, and Brown addressed that narrative while speaking to Smith, saying:

"I think that together we've been here for a long time and we've had to listen to any and everything for the longest. That we couldn't play together, that things should be broken up, we wasn't leaders. And we were close every single year, right there, right there, right there every single year. We viewed it as, 'Just stay the course,' but everybody else viewed it as, 'Blow it up,' and we got the receipts."

While the Celtics' front office could have listened to he chatter, they doubled down instead, signing Brown to a five-year extension last year and Tatum to a five-year extension this year.

The Celtics also further invested in Brown and Tatum by surrounding them with one of the NBA's best supporting casts, headlined by Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Kristaps Porziņģis.

Those moves finally helped get the Celtics over the hump, and Brown suggested that all of the trials and tribulations may have brought him and Tatum closer together, saying: "We've been able to build a bond, we've been able to create an environment that we wanted to see. We've been able to grow together as human beings, as individuals. When you win a championship, man, that's special."

Both Tatum and Brown have now established themselves as stars and champions. Tatum is a five-time NBA All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection, while Brown is a three-time All-Star and was both the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP in the playoffs last season.

Brown expressed his belief that the media and outside sources may still try to question whether he and Tatum can co-exist on a championship team should the Celtics hit some turbulence during the 2024-25 season, but last season's accomplishment can't be taken away.

And with the Celtics largely returning their same championship roster from last season, they are the odds on favorites to win it all and repeat as champions.