Not the reunion everyone expected! As the Hornets hosted the reigning champions in their arena, it was supposed to be a happy moment for Grant Williams, reconnecting with his old Celtics teammates. However, no one was prepared for what transpired later in the game. With the Cs closing in on another win to improve their record, tensions rose and Williams shocked the world by hitting Jayson Tatum with a hard foul. And Jaylen Brown deemed it the end of their friendship.

During the closing minutes of the final quarter, Grant shoulder-tackled JT as he was dribbling the ball down the court. And it looked like a clear intentional foul because the Hornets star was nowhere close to going for the ball. While both players fell on the floor because of the impact, fortunately, no one got injured on the play. However, Williams was penalized with a Flagrant II for the dangerous foul and got booted from the game.

Addressing the ugly incident after the game, Jaylen Brown said, “I don’t know what that was about. I think that spoke for itself.” And deeming it a non-basketball play, a stunned JB questioned Grant’s relationship with Tatum.

“It’s no place in the game for that. I thought JT and Grant was friends. I guess not,” Brown stated in the post-game press conference. Well, they were teammates for four years and even went to the NBA Finals together two years ago. But tonight’s altercation definitely puts a question mark on Grant and JT’s relationship.

Even Derrick White called the Hornets star out after the controversial play, “That stuff at the end was BS.” Apart from Williams’ foul, the Olympian was also referring to Miles Bridges’ double-tech ejection and LaMelo Ball getting fouled out in the closing minutes. But what did Grant have to say in his defense?

Grant Williams claims foul on Jayston Tatum was ‘Unintentional’

With Jaylen Brown and Derrick White calling Williams out, fans were waiting to hear the Hornets star’s response. And he claimed it was just an accidental play, “I was trying to make a play on the ball. I didn’t reach across his body.” Yes, Grant says he was reaching for the ball but his momentum led him to collide with his former teammate, causing the hard foul.

And he also reassured that his friendship with Tatum is still intact. “JT is one of my closest friends in the league. There is no intention to try to harm him in any way.” Denying any malicious intent, Williams also understood why Brown was frustrated at him after the play, saying “JB was frustrated because you don’t wanna hurt your teammate and stuff like that. I understand that.” Obviously, the play could have ended badly for Tatum and led to a serious injury. And no one wants to see that happen.

After clearing his name, Grant revealed that he did not get a chance to talk to Tatum following the foul because of the chaos. However, he plans on doing it soon. “I’ll talk to him tonight or tomorrow.” Sure enough, the two teams meet again tomorrow for a rematch and hopefully, Williams will clear the air with his former teammates.