Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are most well known for being a star duo for the Boston Celtics. Both are players who have versatile games, being able to score and defend. They've gotten to the Eastern Conference Finals together twice already, and there's no question that they will be a duo to fear in the future.
While a lot of people would assume that the two stars met the year Jayson Tatum was drafted by the Boston Celtics, they have actually known each other previously, and there is a photo of the two together as teenagers from 2014.
It's certainly insane that the two knew each other even before they were star teammates. In an article by Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports, Brown revealed that it was "one of the only pictures" he took with another player, and expressed his awe at the fact that it just happened to be Tatum, the player he eventually "won a lot of games" and "shared an All-Star appearance with". Back then, there's no way they knew that they were going to be teammates in the league, and life can certainly be unpredictable.
There’s a photo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown next to each other as teenagers that pops up on social media every now and again. It’s a snapshot from October 2014, long before the duo could even dream of being the All-Star pillars for the Boston Celtics.
Brown was making his official visit to Kansas during the team's annual "Late Night in the Phog" at Allen Fieldhouse while Tatum, a year behind him in school, was there on an unofficial visit. Tatum and Brown were friendly after crossing paths on the AAU circuit but the fact that they ended up next to each other in the crowd and someone snapped a photo still blows Brown’s mind.
"It is kind of crazy, because out of all the pictures and all the people, it was this dude I was in the picture with," Brown said as he and Tatum broke into laughter during a joint interview with NBC Sports Boston at Celtics Media Day last month.
"I don't know how, because I think that might have been one of the only pictures I probably took on visits with another player, and it just happened to be who I’ve been through multiple playoff runs with, won a lot of games with, shared an All-Star appearance with, and, hopefully, can raise a banner with."
Jaylen Brown mentions his desire to "raise a banner" with Jayson Tatum, and perhaps the duo and the Boston Celtics will be able to make that a reality next season. While most wouldn't consider the Boston Celtics contenders on the tier of the Brooklyn Nets or the Milwaukee Bucks, they are certainly a tough team with two All-Star wing players. They also made some astute additions in the offseason, and the defense on the team should be spectacular.
While there have been people who have stated that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can't be superstars for the Boston Celtics, it seems as though the Boston Celtics will be rolling with their star duo. There's really no upside to separating two All-Star wings, and perhaps the Celtics will add another banner to their collection with Tatum and Brown leading the way.
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