Jaylen Brown Compares Grant Williams' Hit to a Ray Lewis Tackle

Former Cal star Brown disappointed by hard shot on Jayson Tatum by former Celtics teammate Williams.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Former Cal standout Jaylen Brown made it clear he was not pleased with the hit Charlotte's Grant Williams put on Jayson Tatum on Friday's NBA game, comparing it to a blow delivered by football Hall Of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis.

Tatum was dribbling downcourt on a fast break when Williams plowed into Tatum near midcourt. Williams was ejectxed from the game for the play.

What made the hit particularly puzzling is that Tatum and Williams were teammates with the Celtics for four seasons from 2019 to 2023, and they were friends.

Brown scored 25 points in the 124-109 victory over the Hornets, and he let his opinion be known when he was asked whether he thought Williams' hit was unintentional.

"Like, what are we talking about? Y'all see the same play that I was seeing?" Brown said, "He hit him like it was a football play. Like, Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something. It is what it is. Grant know better than that."

Brown said earlier in the interiew that kind of play has no place in he NBA.

"I thought JT and Grant was friends. ... I guess not," Brown said.

Brown can be seen staring at Williams after the disputed play as Brown walks back to the Celtics huddle, clearly upset at what Wimmiams did.

Williams told Kayla Burton of NBC Sports Boston that he had no intention of injuring Tatum and said Brown made a bigger deal out of the play.

"Not trying to hurt anybody. We all know that's one of my closest friends in the league," Williams said. "JB kind of escalated it, but I understand he's trying to protect his teammate. But that's [Tatum] my dog. No matter what, I got his back. ... No malice or any issue with that."

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

The Hornets and Celtics play again today (Saturday) in Charlotte, North Caroplina, and that game figures to be interesing. But Brown is expected to sit out the game with a hip-flexor injury.

Brown, a three-time all-star who was the MVP of both the Eastern Conference finals and the NBA Finals, is averaging 25.7 points this season for the defending NBA champion Celtics, who are 5-1 this season.

However, Brown is struggling with his shooting. He was 0-for-6 on three-point shots in Friday's game and was 1-for-21 from long range over the past three games. For the season he is shooting 40.0 percent from the field overall and 26.7 percent from beyond the three-point line.

During the 2023-24 regular season, Brown shot 49.9 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent on three-pointer while averaging 25.7 points.

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