"Jaylen Brown is your Shaq"- NBA fans mock Kobe Bryant mentee Jayson Tatum after 2024 Finals MVP snub 

Jayson Tatum's maiden NBA championship win on Monday ended without a finals MVP as co-star Jaylen Brown bagged the Bill Russell trophy. It was the second time voters favored Brown after he grabbed the Eastern Conference finals MVP over Tatum. It was a neck-and-neck battle between the Celtics' duo and Jrue Holiday.

Tatum dominated closeout Game 5, tallying 31 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. He added two steals while shooting 11 of 24. Meanwhile, Brown had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, with two steals. He shot a measly 7 of 23 but was the key defensive presence against Luka Doncic.

Brown held Doncic to a quiet first half as he scored nine points on 4 of 10 shooting. It kept Boston in the lead for much of the contest, setting the tone for its 106-88 win. Many felt Tatum had done enough in Games 3 and 5 to get back in the mix to win the NBA Finals MVP award.

However, the voters stuck with Jaylen Brown for his overall impressive showing, especially on offense, where he was a tad better for most of the games. NBA fans didn't waste time trolling Jayson Tatum for getting snubbed again, as one fan called Brown the Shaq to his Kobe.

For context, Tatum is renowned as a huge Kobe Bryant admirer and was one of his mentees. The troll mocked Tatum's role, saying he was a second-fiddle to Brown, similar to what Bryant was for O'Neal during their three-peat from 2000 to 2002.

"Jayson Tatum wanna be Kobe so bad, so now Jaylen Brown is your Shaq, congratulations," the fan said.

"Tatum idolizes kobe so much he decided to be a second option for his first ring," another troll added.

"Tatum sick he aint get it," one fan said.

"He knew he didn’t deserve it lol," one fan wrote.

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Jaylen Brown shouts out Jayson Tatum after NBA Finals MVP win

Jaylen Brown took home the NBA Finals MVP, but he didn't stop praising his teammates, especially Jayson Tatum, for the win.

“I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime, Jayson Tatum. He was with me the whole way. So we share this sh*t together."

Brown and Tatum have been through several heartbreaks during their stint together as co-stars on the Celtics. That includes three conference finals losses, a finals loss, and a couple of early exits in the playoffs.

Many even questioned their chemistry and ability to play together in the past. However, they have shunned their doubters by getting the job done. Neither displayed any envy or disapproval of the other's greatness during this run, which has helped the Celtics create history as the most successful franchise in the league.