Ex-Celtics Guard Responds To Jaylen Brown’s Beef With Bucks Star

Celtics star Jaylen Brown’s beef with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo continued to extend, nearly a week following Boston’s 113-107 win over Milwaukee.

Brown caught an elbow from Antetokounmpo during Sunday’s Eastern Conference-rival matchup, sparking an eye-catching altercation. Brown dusted himself off and got back up before walking toward Antetokounmpo, who faked a handshake, which the reigning NBA Finals MVP considered “child”-like when asked afterward.

Former Celtics guard Jeff Teague, a one-time teammate of Brown’s, offered his stance on the controversy that’s evolved into dragging Nike into the mix.

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“I’m not gonna say it’s a dirty play. I don’t think Giannis is a dirty player,” Teague said on the “Club 520 Podcast.” “But when you play basketball, you make a conscious effort to move your foot out of the way. Like, when I close out when we play in the men’s league, I look down when I close out. I don’t wanna land on somebody’s foot and vice-versa. You know what you’re doing, kind of. In a way, I probably think it’s a little dirty but I don’t think he intentionally wanted to hurt him.”

Teague added: “After (Antetokounmpo) elbowed him, you could tell there was a little something else there. JB handled it cool though.”

Antetokounmpo’s elbow collision with Brown wasn’t the only controversial move pulled by the eight-time All-Star and former league MVP. The 29-year-old also invaded Jayson Tatum’s landing space on a 3-point attempt, causing Boston’s co-star to fall on the ground, clenching his left ankle. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called the miss-call “ridiculous” in defense of Tatum, who’s dealt with past ankle injuries.

Nike Basketball’s X account got involved and played the instigator’s role by using Brown’s “childish” jab to subliminally take a shot of its own at the 28-year-old.

Of course, Brown, an on-the-record Nike enemy, wasted no time responding to the swoosh, showing that the multi-year-long beef is alive and well. Antetokounmpo, a Nike-sponsored athlete, and Brown, the founder of 741 Performance, will meet for a third and final regular-season matchup on Dec. 6 at TD Garden.