The Boston Celtics appeared to send a playful message to former star Jaylen Brown ahead of Tuesday night's highly anticipated matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, playing the song “Why Can't We Be Friends?” during their morning shootaround.
Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer shared the observation on X, formerly known as Twitter, as Boston prepares to face Brown for the first time since his departure.
“The first song being played at Celtics shootaround this morning is ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’ Almost TOO on the nose.”
While the song choice may have been coincidental, its timing drew attention ahead of the Celtics' visit to Philadelphia.
The Celtics (8-2) will face the 76ers (9-2) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, marking the first regular-season meeting between Brown and longtime teammate Jayson Tatum as opponents.
Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum reunite after years of success with Celtics
Brown spent nine seasons with Boston from 2016-17 through 2025-26, including eight alongside Tatum after the Celtics selected the latter with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Together, the duo helped establish Boston as a perennial Eastern Conference contender, reaching the conference finals six times and making two NBA Finals appearances.
Their greatest accomplishment came during the 2023-24 season, when they led Boston to its record 18th NBA championship with a five-game series victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Article Continues BelowBrown earned NBA Finals MVP honors after averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the championship series.
The pair also reached the 2022 NBA Finals, falling to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Now playing for separate Eastern Conference contenders, Brown and Tatum enter Tuesday's matchup with their respective teams among the NBA's early-season leaders.
Philadelphia has won nine of its first 11 games, while Boston enters the contest riding a three-game winning streak following Sunday's 117-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.