Hawks AF - Jeff Teague on the 2015 team, getting left by the team bus, becoming a podcast sensation

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I just think about how many people wanted to kill me when I pushed LeBron. Ha, I remember that.
I thought the fans was going to ride with me. I was like, stand up, Hawks fans.
They're like, nah. That's the key oh oh oh oh oh america welcome to a brand new episode of hawks and friends man you know what this feel like the backyard it feel like my homeboy came back you know what i'm saying it feels like the one who went to college and came back to the high school just to make sure the team's still good we got an icon in the building we got an atl's legend in the building uh nba champ uh uh nba all-star one of atl's own jeff t appreciate y'all having me on the show oh man man it's an honor my guy welcome back to my guy.
Welcome back to the city. I'm hype.
You know, every time I come back to Atlanta, it's always like home. I had to get some J.R.
Crickets when I first got back. Fact.
Yeah. Probably get some American Deli.
You didn't go to the Blue Flame, did you? Nah, I ain't been there yet. Okay, okay.
I'm home. I'm on my way.
You on your way. Nah, man.
So, look, man. What was your favorite memory of playing with ATL Hawks? Getting drafted here.
I got drafted here 20 years old, getting drafted, living out your dream to come to Atlanta, one of the greatest cities in the world, and then, like, being able to play with the Hawks and some of my favorite players growing up, like a Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, those guys. It was just dope.
So speaking of that moment, like that draft day when the Hawks called your name, like give us that rundown. Yeah, I was at home.
I didn't work out for the Hawks. I didn't know anything about Atlanta.
I'm from Indianapolis, Indiana, and I really didn't travel like that. I went to North Carolina, well, Wake Forest, moved to North Carolina, and that really was my furthest I've ever been.
So then when I get called by the Hawks, I knew nothing about Atlanta. And my brother was like, Lil Jon.
That's all I kept saying. Yeah.
Lil Jon. He's about to be with Lil Jon.
And I was like. That's crazy.
That's the first person he called out? I swear. Lil Jon.
He's about to be with Lil Jon. Did you see him? I ain't never meet LeJuan.
Okay. That's right.

Man, you know what?

You was a part of a unique squad, man.

That 2014-15 squad.

Like, it's hard to build momentum.

It's hard to actually build a team that you can trust.

Like, tell us about that squad.

It was an unbelievable group.

We played together. We enjoyed playing with one another.

We just wanted to win.

Right.

And we thought we had a team to win a championship.

I think we had a really good season.

I mean, we played together. We enjoyed playing with one another.
We just wanted to win. Right.
And we thought we had a team to win a championship. I think we had a really good season.
I mean, we went up against LeBron. Y'all did.
It's gonna be tough to be LeBron, but that group, we played good together. We enjoyed playing for one another.
We wanted to win, and we didn't care who got the glory. Right.
We just like, man, if we win, we all gonna win. And that's what it was.
What did you miss most about that 2014-15 series?

What did I miss?

I just missed the guys.

Like, seeing them today.

Right.

And, like, being around Kyle and Paul.

Even though we don't talk every day, but when we get around each other, man,

it's like old times.

We were just reminiscing about all the good stuff that we did.

Just riding the bus rides, talking crazy on the court.

Me and Kyle used to do a shooting game every day. Obviously, he was a way better shooter than me, but I beat him a couple times.
And I made sure to let him know when I won. And we was just talking about some of those moments.
Now, you done played in a couple eras, man. You know what I'm saying? Like, now, to be in the game, how y'all said, like, after seven to eight years, you are now like a super veteran.
Yeah. People don't really last that long.
So explain how the game changed from when you first started out. When I first started, it was like a slow game.
You threw the ball in the post. And then you had Joe Johnson.
I was on tune with Joe, so he got the chance to play ISO a lot. Then as the years went on, it was way more three-point shots.
You didn't shoot fast break threes when I first got in the league.

That's what I'm saying. All this stuff, Curry.

Shoot that now, you get kicked out the game.

Yeah, but now you gotta shoot

them. Watching that,

just that whole

transition is crazy.

It was just how cool to be able to be a part of

both of those eras, so I get to hear

the old heads talk crazy about how bad the game is, but then I was also a part of the era where you got to shoot a bunch of threes. So it's cool.
So give us a teammate who had, like, the biggest impact on your career. Because it's a lot of ins and outs when it comes to the game and when it comes to the business.
Like, who was that big bro for you? Man, it was a guy, Damian wilkins um dominique's nephew he was on the team with us one year and uh he i was my second year in the league he just pulled me to the side because i loved atlanta right and when i say i loved atlanta i was outside that mean you was outside i was outside so he just pulled me in and like let me know you can do both but you got to keep the main thing the main thing right and uh it kind of really saved my career because i was on a path of this i was gonna be out of there you know you don't play long it's only four years it's like the average career right i was in year two and i wasn't playing that much so he pulled me to the side and he helped me out so speaking of not playing that much and knowing your potential and knowing like i watched you i watched watched you grow here and I watched you become a starter. I watched you go and go to the other team you play for and become a champion.
I know. I know it hurts.
But just talk that elevation in that transition in the game when you got to wait your turn. And when it's time for you to shine, that's when you got to go out there and give it your all.
Yeah at that time when i came in the league you had to learn like not too many people just started right away you had to be like the top 10 pick top five pick and you got your chance to start uh it's a little different now but i had to wait my turn we had mike dibby here right mike was a vet he's a good player he was he was he was nice right so i had to wait my turn and And he got traded. Kurt Heimer came here.
He was starting. Then he got hurt.
And it was just my opportunity to play. And I just tried to make the most of it.
And I ran off with it. And I tried not to look back.
Pop it. Pop it.
Now, we going to pivot a little bit. Because I seen the pick.
Everybody seen the pick. You know the pick I'm talking about.
Go on, pull it up. Pull it up on the app.
This one. Not when I got left by the bus.
Damn. That was it? Was you holding the pizza? Yeah, they left me, man.
And that's why you holding the pizza, bro? Yeah, so my sister had came to the game in Detroit and she hadn't seen me play before. Right.
So I was out after the game. You get to go talk to your family.
I was talking to her, and we just chopping it up. And I started looking around the arena.
I'm like, dang, ain't nobody else out here. I'm like, I know I ain't the only one with some family in Detroit.
Then I go to the back, and the dudes on the Detroit, the ball boys was like, dang. They left you.
They left you, bro. But don't they do a roll call? I guess I didn't get the call.
So I started calling all the phones. And I'm like, hey, y'all left me.
Come back. And they like 10 minutes out.
They come back. And I get on the bus.
If y'all don't know me, I talk crazy all the time. I'm like, hey, how y'all gonna leave me? I'm playing.
And coach was like, like sit yo and he got got me up out of here he was hot damn how you mad at me you left me you left me but it's all good it's all good but i know a phone call you you you did get and that was to tap into this media space yeah yeah like you got a you got a podcast uh podcast club 520 yeah you dig like what made you start getting to the media into the media world man my homeboys i do the podcast with they were already doing a podcast and i was just like went on their show one day and i had fun right and i was like man i can do that right i can do that but i was like i'm really kind of crazy i'm like i'm a little raw right mate like that's what we like we like raw we gonna keep it real and once we started doing it just started flowing and it was cool now now speaking of raw you you got like the best story like i be tuned in gang you got some of the best stories give us a a real like dope behind the scene nba story that you ain't exclusive a hawks of friends exclusive uh nba story y'all i don story. I can't think of nothing right now.
I gotta be put in the moment. So that's the thing about our podcast.
We only just tell stories. It be organic.
Like something that happened and I be like man I remember. Since we in the Hawks.
Like you came on the show. I remember and we was talking.
It got real. I'm like dang am I supposed to say that? Okay but we in the Hawks.
Because you came on the show. I remember.
We was talking. Yeah.
And we was talking. Yeah.
I'm talking about it got real. I was like, dang, am I supposed to even say that? Okay, but we in the Hawks.
What happened here that you can think of? Every time you come in, you think about it. You like, boy.
I just think about how many people wanted to kill me when I pushed LeBron. I remember that.
I thought the fans was going to ride with me. I was like, stand up, Hawks fans.
They're like, nah, that's the key. Nah, man.
So when you down here in the A, like, I know you bust a couple old, you know what I'm saying, corners and some of your old favorite spots that you used to hit. Like, what's the Jeff T favorite restaurants when he ain't ATL? Well, I used to eat U.S.
Cafe a lot. I don't know if that's

still open. But J.R.
Crickets was my spot.

American Deli, obviously, was my spot, too.

I think American Deli got

crack in it, man. Man, when I was

younger, when I first got here, I used to like

Mary Max. I don't know what it's hitting on now.

Mary Max? When is it? It's downtown.

It's down here. Oh, yeah, see, that's downtown.

It's from the west side. We ain't gonna marry Max.

I know a lady named Miss Mary. Yeah, but that was really it uh obviously you know lou lou know where the good chicken yeah you already what you brought louie i already knew i just all i saw with you you know what okay okay that's crazy because i need this card right here look at the dollar fell in my lap so look this is speed round right here okay We got to go back out here and see these Hawks.
You know what? Hold on. Before we get into the speed round, because you talk.
I cannot let you get out of here. This just hit my mind like a light bulb.
Like, ding! Because you wrong. I want you to tell the truth.
How do you feel about our Hawks right now? I'm a fan of the team. I know we went through some tough injuries.
Right. Jalen Johnson.
Right. I think he an all-star.
He's a super beast. Yeah, I think he cold.
Obviously, Trey Young is who he is. Super beast.
Cold. I think when you got those two as your foundation going forward, they in good hands.
Did you like our trades? Did you think we won? George Neang, he was my rookie. When I got traded from here to the Indiana, George was on the team with me.
He was my rookie, so that's my guy. Okay, that's your dog.
Yeah, that's my dog. I'm hypey here because I know what Atlanta is like.
I know he loves the city. We already talked about it.
He loves it here already. So good to see him here playing with Coach Q already with Quinn.
They played in Utah. He coached them in Utah.
so I know that's going to be a good blend. I like Karis LeVert.
He can hoop, and I like T-Man. I like him.
He aggressive. Yeah, T-Man good, too.
Everybody we got in the trade is dope. Okay.
D-Hunt was my guy. That was my talk.
So when I got traded back here, so seeing D-Hunt leave, he was having a heck of a year. He was having a heck of a year.
So, I mean, they got to do what they got to do. I know, man, it's business, but you know.
I understand the business side. But D Hunt was having a heck of a year.
But shout out to them. I like the guys we got, though.
Yeah, I do, too. All right.
Okay, here we go. We got the speed round.
Okay, we got to go see the guys play. Because, you know they're formal lane trying to build energy, and we got to make sure we see play-by-play.
Okay, favorite Hawks jersey? The Pac-Man. Okay, okay.
Toughest defender you ever had to go up against? Toughest defender? Tabo Cephalosha. Ooh, okay, okay.
Best trash talker you ever played with or against? Kevin Garnett. Yeah, he talking, he talking heavy.
First NBA jersey you ever owned? Penny Hardaway. Penny Hardaway.
Okay, hey, man, there you have it, ATL. Listen, man, y'all really called this exclusive.
Like, they really was calling in, sending in emails, like, you got to get Jeff Teague as soon as we had Joe on here.

I don't know how many more NBA players we going to have,

but y'all are more than welcome, bro.

And we appreciate you for stopping by, y'all.

Nah, I appreciate y'all having me, man.

Keep doing your thing.

Me too, brother.

Most definitely.

And make sure y'all stay tuned, America,

and make sure you watch Jeff Teague Podcast Club 520 as well.

You did?

Hawks and friends.