While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown reportedly try to put the conversation about their differences aside, the rabid NBA fanbase and its commentators are having a field day with it.

The latest to chime in? Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, who says he's disappointed to see the breakup of the Boston Celtics duo play out this way. He said that Tatum and Brown are two of his favorite people in the league, but he said this recent war of words has shown that the duo is no longer JT-JB, but rather that they are separate now.

I've felt, for years, that Brown is somewhat resentful of Tatum. Maybe he wasn't super resentful of Tatum individually at first, but I do think there was a general resentment there.

I think he was resentful of the way the organization propped Tatum up. I think he was resentful of the way the fans and media propped Tatum up, and I think he was resentful because he felt he was just as good and just as important as Tatum to the team's success.

I still think that Brown was relatively cool with Tatum himself, and just upset at the outside factors, when the duo won the title in 2023-24. But I think after Brown carried the team in 2025-26, I think that resentment came back a little bit more. I think his success re-ignited his idea that he is just as vital to the Celtics as Tatum is.

And now, something has shifted and Brown seems upset at Tatum personally. Does he think that Tatum could have and should have stopped the trade from happening? Perhaps. 

Did he finally reach a breaking point because the organization officially chose Tatum over him, confirming all his thoughts that the organization valued him more?

We will likely learn the answer some day, but that some day isn't today as both sides are trying to squash the conversation.

The conversation will never be fully squashed, especially with the two set to play each other four times a season for the foreseeable future. The first matchup this season will come up on Nov. 10 in Philadelphia. Brown won't return to Boston until late January.

Tatum and the Celtics will take on the Chicago Bulls on Friday night in Game 1 of the NBA Cup. We've outlined how the tournament works here.