Jeff Teague got real on how LeBron James told him and the Hawks that he figured them out after being swept in a regular season series.
Jeff Teague has dropped another iconic story about losing to LeBron James in the Eastern Conference during LeBron’s run with the Cleveland Cavaliers. On the latest episode of the ‘Club 502 Podcast’ with special guest Nick Young, Teague revealed how LeBron came up to him during the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend and told him that he figured the Hawks out despite being swept in the regular season by them.
“I swear to God, All-Star, he told me—we swept them in the regular season, beat them by 25 every game. He came to me, and he was like, ‘I figured y’all out.’… I said, ‘You figured us out?’ Man, all he did was run a 3-1 pick-and-roll. He bring me up there, set it again, back me down, get to the free throw line, and shoot over me. If somebody helped, throw it top J.R Smith or Kevin Love, three.”
“I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s over. He figured this out.’ There’s no way I can guard Bron. What the f**k are we gonna do?”
Teague’s stories about LeBron are so funny but also disheartening. More players like Teague couldn’t sniff Playoff success for a decade in the East because LeBron was dominating with both the Cavaliers and the Heat. While he did win an NBA title as an end-of-the-bench piece on the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, he never even got one win over LeBron in the Playoffs.
James averaged 30.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 9.3 assists against the Hawks in the 2015 Playoffs.
The Hawks had won 60 games that season and took the No. 1 seed, enjoying homecourt advantage over James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. It didn’t matter as it was a one-sided sweep that closed the curtain on the Hawks winning a title with a core of Teague, Kyle Korver, and Al Horford.
Teague Committed A Dirty Foul On LeBron Because He Was Sick Of Losing
Jeff Teague despised James during this time as LeBron was the only thing standing between him and Playoff success. Nothing mattered in the East unless you beat a LeBron-led team in the Playoffs, with Teague’s inability to do so leading to him shoulder-checking LeBron in a game once.
“My fault, GOAT. GOAT James. We was losing, sh*t I’m a sore loser. I ain’t win a playoff game against that n****, ever. I was sick of this sh*t. Motherf***ing fans in Atlanta will cheer for him, he running down the court. I say, ‘You know what b**ch, I got something for you!’ Shoulder checked the sh*t outta that n****, he went to the stands.”
Beating LeBron wasn’t in the cards for Jeff Teague, though he had a solid career of his own. He averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 assists over his career and made an All-Star team. Unfortunately, his career record against LeBron in the Playoffs is 0-12 and 5-22 in the regular season.