Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown was taken aback when his peace offering from Jayson Tatum hit his radar.
Brown has been sidelined for Boston’s last two contests with a facial fracture, which will also keep him out of Tuesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. The 26-year-old All-Star was hit with an inadvertent elbow from Tatum while the two both attempted to secure a rebound last week against the Philadelphia 76ers. Brown instantly went to the ground and was removed from the game. He even shared a picture of the aftermath on social media.
This prompted Tatum, who felt guilty about Brown’s injury, to offer a car as an apology gift. However, it appeared as though Tatum forgot to extend the offer directly to Brown, who was perplexed to hear such news.
“He said that?” Brown asked reporters Sunday after Boston’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, per NBC Sports Boston video. “… Nobody told me this. OK cool then. I like that. That’ll be great, that’ll be great.”
With Brown recovering, the Celtics have managed to weather the storm of his absence. Coupled with the awaited return of Marcus Smart, who is nursing an ankle injury, Boston has won its last four games and still sits atop the NBA standings at 41-16.
Brown also provided a brief update on his injury, but couldn’t help but remain thrilled to catch wind of Tatum’s kindness, which he felt doubtful about.
“It’s been tough the last couple of days but (expletive) I’m about to get a car,” Brown said. “… You sure he said that? He’s probably just playing around. JT be lying. … But it’s been tough to sleep the first couple of days but I’m alright. You know, it’s gonna take more than a Jayson Tatum elbow to take me out.”
The Celtics head over to Milwaukee for the first of two games left before the NBA All-Star break. Tip off from Fiserv Forum on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
