Late in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets, Grant Williams was ejected after charging into former teammate Jayson Tatum. Williams spent his first four seasons with the Celtics before landing with the Mavericks via sign-and-trade in 2023. He was later dealt to the Hornets as part of the P.J. Washington trade. Williams has always been known for his physical play and frequent altercations with the opposing team. This play coming against his former team makes it more meaningful. Running up to Tatum and shoulder-checking him felt like a cheap shot.
Grant Williams was ejected after this flagrant 2 foul on Jayson Tatum 😳 pic.twitter.com/YbhC1psP7r
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 2, 2024
Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Makes Bold Statement About Ex-Teammate Grant Williams After Controversial Play on Jayson Tatum
Brown’s Comments
After the game, Jaylen Brown spoke about Grant’s ejection. Brown said that he thought Tatum and Grant were friends. He also said the following in regard to Grant’s intentions.
“He hit him like it was a football play. Like Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something. It is what it is Grant knows better than that.”
Brown is well-known for having strong leadership abilities and speaking his mind, his post-game comments highlight these traits. His comments were straightforward yet powerful. Additionally, Brown made it clear he was upset without attacking Grant’s character his comments show that he has his teammates’ back and handles these issues in a mature way. Notably, after the play, Brown immediately rushed to Tatum’s defense and said something to Williams. Brown’s incredible leadership and mentality have been central to the Celtics’ success.
Jaylen Brown was pretty resounding in his postgame:
“I thought JT and Grant were friends. I guess not.” https://t.co/LXRC2R7f9E
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) November 2, 2024
Jaylen Brown said “actions speak louder than words” multiple times when it came to Grant Williams
“Y’all see the same play? He hit him like that was a football play.” pic.twitter.com/WF5x2R8fA7
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) November 2, 2024
On the court, Brown and Tatum were both crucial to the Celtics 124-109 victory. Tatum poured in 32 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Brown notched 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists. The Jays have been catalysts of Boston’s recent success, including winning the 2024 NBA title. This season, both stars are averaging 25-plus points and have led the Celtics to a 5-1 start.
Grant Williams and Mazzulla’s Comments
After the game, Williams shared his perspective on the play.
“Like I definitely made contact with his body before I reached. Probably a hard foul definitely not trying to hurt him by any means. We all know that’s one of my closest friends in the league. And as you can see he got up and just walked away, and then I got up, raised my hand like I thought it was foul. JB kind of escalated it but I understand he was trying to protect his teammate and stuff like that.”
Williams’ comments are somewhat puzzling, considering the charge and run-up from the other side of the court. This play, to Brown’s point, wasn’t a basketball play and had a clear injury risk. Williams doing this to someone he considers a close friend is even more questionable. While it certainly appeared to be an intentionally dirty play, it’s possible this was just a serious lapse in judgment from Grant. He has always been an emotional player; his altercation with Jimmy Butler in the 2023 conference finals is the most famous of this, Williams also ranked within the top 10 for technical fouls last season. Regardless, Williams’ play certainly warranted an ejection.
I talked to #GrantWilliams after the game.
Here’s what he had to say about the flagrant foul on Jayson Tatum… @NBCSCeltics #Celtics #Hornets pic.twitter.com/umfI2OSLGQ
— Kayla Burton (@Kay_Breezy22) November 2, 2024
Joe Mazzulla liked how both his stars handled the play. Tatum immediately moved on to the next play while Brown rushed to his defense. Mazzulla acknowledged that everyone has their own way of handling plays like this, but the only thing that matters is that everyone has each other’s back. This is a great point: you want your players to defend each other but not truly escalate the issue. Tatum moving on to the next play while Brown made it clear that play was unacceptable without making the situation worse was the best thing each player could have done.
Mazzulla on the physicality toward the end of tonight’s game:
“I loved it. It was great. I thought it was tremendous.”
Also loved the way JT handled the hard foul by Grant:
“Didn’t lay around, didn’t let him faze him. Got right up, went to the FT line, and did his business.” pic.twitter.com/q3nyY4UPXL
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) November 2, 2024
Joe Mazzulla liked how Jaylen Brown stood up for Jayson Tatum:
“Everyone’s got their own way of handling it, as long as we have each other’s back.” pic.twitter.com/YyEDHHqKeV
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) November 2, 2024
Ultimately, how both stars handled this altercation is a testament to their maturity and championship mentality. Ironically, this play happened after Mazzulla proposed that the NBA should allow fighting. Grant’s controversial play could further unite the Celtics, and it will certainly give them a little extra motivation as they are set to take on the Hornets in a rematch.
