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

I just think about how many people wanted to kill me when I pushed Lebron.

I remember that I thought the Fens was gonna with me.

I was like standing no Hawks, feeling like nah, that's the key.

Oh oh, oh oh.

America.

Welcome to a brand new episode of Hawks and Friends.

Man, you know what this feels like the backyard. It feels like my.

Homeboy came back. You know what I'm saying.

It feels like the one who went to college that came back to the high school just to make sure the team is still good. We got an icon in the building. We got an ATLS legend in the building. Up, NBA Champ, NBA All Star, one of at L's own jail.

T appreciate you having me on the show.

Oh man, man, this is only my god. Welcome back to the city.

I'm hype. You know. Every time I come back to Atlanta, it's always like home.

I had these some JR crickets when I first got back fast Yeah, probably some American deal.

We go to the Blue Flame yet Okay, okay, wait, you on your way.

No man, So little man, what was your favorite memory of playing with atl Hawks?

Getting drafted here, I got drafted here twenty 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 Bibbie, 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, give us that that that rundown.

Yeah, I was at home.

I hadn't I didn't work out for the Hawks, so I knew 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, Wake Forest to North Carolina and that's really was my furthest I ever been. So then when I get called by the Hawks, I knew nothing about Atlanta and my brother was like, little John, that's all I kept saying, yeah, yeah, little John, you have to be a little John.

And I was like, that's crazy. That's the first person he calls. I swear a little John. You better be with a little John. Did you see him? I ain't never meet job. Oh God, say no.

Man, you know what you was a part of a unique squad. Man that twoenty fourteen fifteen squad, Like, it's

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 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 ain't care who got the glory, right. We were just like, man, we win, we all gonna win. And that's what it was.

What did you miss most about that twenty fourteen fifteen series?

What miss I just miss to guys, like seeing him 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 ride, talking crazy on the court. Me and Kyle used to

You don't play it in a couple a couple of eras. Man, you know what I'm saying, Like now to be in the game with how.

Y'all saying 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, h 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 IO a lot. The

You know what I'm saying all this, Nah, you ain't doing that.

Now you get kicked out of the game.

Yeah, but now you gotta shoot him.

So like watching that, just that whole transition is crazy, But 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 part of the era where you got to shoot a bunch of thirty so it's cool.

So so give us a teammate who had like the biggest impact on your career, because it's a lot of ends and out when it comes to the game and when it comes to the business, Like who was that

Man?

It was it was a guy Damian Wilkins, Dominique's nephew. He was on the team with this one year and uh, that was my second year in the league. He just pulled me to the side because I loved Atlanta. And when I say I loved Atlanta, I 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. And uh, it kind of really saved my career because I was on a path of this. I was gonna be out of there. Know, you don't play long. It's only four years. It's like the average career. 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 you grow here, and I watched you become a starter. I watched you go and go to the other team you played for him and become a champion. I know, I know it hurts, but just talk that elevation and the transition in the game. When you gotta wait your turn and when it's time for you to shine, that's when you got to go.

Out there and give y'all.

Yeah, at that time, when I came to the league, you had to learn, like not too many people just started right away.

You had to be like the.

Top ten pick, top five pick, and you got your chance to start. It's a little different now, but I had to wait my turn. We had Mike Dibbi here. Mike was a VET, a good player. He was he was nice. So I had to wait my turn and he got traded. Kurt Kurt Hied 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 the most of it, and I rent off with it and I tried not to look back.

Pop it now.

Now we're gonna We're gonna pivot a little bit because I seen the pit. Everybody's seen the pit. You know the pick I'm talking about. Come on, pull it up, pull it up on the APPI this one.

Not when I got left by the bus.

Damn, that was it with you holding the pizza.

Yeah, they left me, man, and that's why you holding the pieza? Bro. Yeah.

So my sister had came to the game in Detroit and she hadn't seen me play before.

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 ring and I'm like, ain't nobody else I heard, like, got no act? 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.

Damn, they left you.

They left you, bro, But don't do a roll call. They forgot I guess I ain't get the call. So I start calling all the.

Phones and I'm like, hey, y'all left me.

Come back and they like ten minutes out, they come back and I get on the bus. You know, if y'all don't know me. I talk crazy all time about hey, y'all gonna leave me. I'm just I'm playing right.

And coaches like shit yr and he got me up fatter, he was hot.

Damn how you mad at me and you.

Left me? But it's all good. It's all good.

But I know a phone call you you did get and that was to tap into this media space. Yeah, yeah, like you gotta you got a podcast podcast Club five twenty you did, 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 when I was just like, went on that show one day and I had fun and I was like, man, I.

Can do that. I can do that.

But I was like, I'm really kind of crazy. I'm like I'm a little raw, right, Like that's what we like, We're gonna keep it real. And once we started doing it just started flowing and it was cool. Now.

Now, speaking of WROW, you you got like the best story, like I be tuned th in, you got some of the best stories.

Give us a real like dope.

Behind the scene NBA story that you ain't exclusive Hawks of Friends, exclusive NBA story.

Yeah, I can't thinking of right now. I gotta I gotta be put in a moment. So that's the thing about our podcast. We don't just tell stories, right, it be organic, like something that happened, and I'll be like, man.

I remember since when since when the Hawks? Because like you came on the show.

I remember we were talking and we was talking talking about it got real. I was like, day am I supposed to say that? Okay? But when the Hawk? What

It, you like, I just think about how many people wanted to kill me when I pushed Lebron.

Remember that I thought I thought the fans was gonna wrong with me. I was like standing there Hawks feeling like that's the key.

So so when you die here in a like, I know you bust a couple of old you know what

Well, I used to eat us Cafe a lot then. I don't know if that stuff, but j R Crickets was my spot. American Daily obviously it was my spot too.

H got cracking man when.

I was 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. It's downtown, it's.

Here from the west side, lady named miss married.

Yeah, but that was really it. Obviously, you know, lou Lou know what a good chicken.

You already what you brought, Louis I already all I saw was.

You know what?

Okay, Okay, that's crazy because I need this card right here. Look at the dollar fell him a lap. So look this is speed round right here. Gay, we got to go back out here and see these Hawks, you know before we getting the speed round? Because you talk, I can't. I let you get out of here. Did you hit my mind like a light board like thing?

Could you wrong? I want you to tell the truth.

I'm a fan of the team. I know we went through some tough injuries. Jaylen Johnson, I think he's an all star.

He's a super beast.

Yeah, I think he called obviously Trey is who he is all star cold. I think when you got those two as your foundation going forward, they in good hands.

Did you do you like our trades? Do you do you think we won?

George, that's my 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, yeah, that's my dog. I'm hype here because I know what Atlanta is like. I know he loved to say. We already talked about it. He loved here already. So good to see him here playing with coach Q. Already with Quinn.

They played in Utah to get he coached him in Utah, So I.

Know that's gonna be a good blend. I like karrisel Vert, he can hold, and I like Gross Yeah, te Man, good too, everybody. We got the traders though, Okay, uh, D Hunt was my guy. So when I got traded back here, when D Hunt so seeing D Hunt leave and he was having a heck of it.

He was having I had, so, I mean, they gotta do what they gotta do. I know, man, it's business, but you know.

I understand the business side. So the Hunt was having a heck of a year. But shout out to him. I love I like the guys.

We got them.

I do too, all right, Okay, here we go. We got the speed round.

Can we gotta go see the guys play because you know they're former lane trying to build energy and we gotta make sure we see play by play. Okay, favorite

Had to go up against.

Toughest defender, uh tabo?

Okay, okay, best trash talker you ever played with against?

Kevin Garnett. Yeah, he talking, he heavy.

First NBA jersey you ever own?

Penny Hardaway, Penny Hardaway.

Okay, hey man, there you have an ATL listen.

Man, y'all y'all really called this exclusive like they really was calling in sending an emails like you gotta get Jeft as soon as we had Joe on here. I don't know how many more NBA players were gonna have, but y'all are more than welcome.

Broun.

We appreciate yourss.

Areppreciate doing your thing definitely, and make sure y'all stay tuned America and make sure you watch Jeff t Podcast Club five twenty as well.

You did Hawks and Friends out