Jeff Teague. Image via: Getty Images While the Atlanta Hawks didn’t quite live up to the expectations of the fans this season, their performance didn’t quite reach there. Amidst everything, a former NBA star, Jeff Teague, who also played 7 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, made a controversial comment that could literally spark a heated debate among the players of the league. While he clearly stated that his take on the statement was not based on racism, but on the fact that the Hawks are in dire need of players who could show anger in the game. Here is what the former NBA star had to say while being disappointed at the poor performance of his ex-team, the Atlanta Hawks.
Jeff Teague’s bizarre comment puts Atlanta Hawks in awkward spotlight
Jeff Teague is an NBA All-Star and has played almost 7 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks’ absolutely poor performance at the beginning of the season has created a sense of discontent in the minds of its former players, and one such prominent example is Jeff Teague. While talking to the Club 520 Podcast on Tuesday, Teague said, “We gotta get some dark skinned dudes”. That statement came out of spite, and Teague immediately understood that there might be consequences. To neutralize the situation, Jeff Teague added, “It’s not about being racist, we need somebody with some Grit, anger or something”. “I swear to god, we need Isaiah Stewart and we need one wing that just like a little more aggressive” Teague said. “We got a lot of finesse players like Porzingis is a finesse player, Zach is a finesse player, Jalen Johnson is a finesse player”, Teague said. “We just don’t got nobody who’s kind of like a grit, grind me. I even like a Marcus Smart type of player, like somebody who might foul somebody for real”, he continued.
What could possibly be the reason behind Jeff Teague’s racial remark?
Jeff Teague could have some emotional attachment to the Atlanta Hawks, and seeing their detrimental performance during the 2025-26 season, he’s had it. Although his intentions were never to hurt any player in the league, his comment might spice up the situation a little more than usual. He scored 15.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists while being with the Atlanta Hawks for the 2014-15 season. Currently, the head coach of Pike High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, Teague played for five teams of the big league, including the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Indiana Pacers. Also read: Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant gets brutally honest about “Face of the NBA” tag