Former NBA star Jeff Teague has an affinity for the Atlanta Hawks. Teague played eight total NBA seasons, including his first seven, in Atlanta. He also earned his lone All-Star Game appearance as a member of the Hawks franchise.
And so it wasn’t a surprise that Teague chimed in on the Hawks’ slow start to the 2025-26 NBA campaign in the recent episode of his “Club 520” podcast. What came as a shock, though, was his controversial solution for their early-season woes.
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“I don’t say anything bad about the Hawks because y’all know that’s my favorite team in the league, but we got to get some dark skinned dudes,”said Teague. “I’m just being for real. It ain’t nothing about being racist, it’s just like we need somebody with some grit, some anger, or something.”
Hawks lack the toughness
Much is expected from the Hawks this season after landing Kristaps Porzingis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker during the offseason. With Jalen Johnson back from injury and Zaccharie Risacher adding one year of NBA experience under his belt, many felt that Trae Young had a cast good enough to turn their fortunes around.
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However, the Hawks have started the season with a 1-3 record. In their three losses, they have given up an average of 127.66 points per game despite having elite defenders in Dyson Daniels and Alexander-Walker. They have been outrebounded in all those games, including a 20-board differential against the Toronto Raptors and 15 the last time out versus the Chicago Bulls, despite having the 7’2″ Porzingis, 6’9″ Johnson, 6’8″ Onyeka Okongwu, and 6’8″ Risascher in their frontcourt.
Atlanta also ranks next to last in opponent points in the paint and in the bottom five in second-chance points allowed. Teague says it’s because the team lacks the toughness that is usually found in Black players like Draymond Green and Isiah Stewart.
“Even if we had a light-skinned dude like Dillon Brooks, like I like young Zach but…. nah!” said Teague about Risacher. “I mean, he’s a good player, but we need somebody… I’m not calling him tender, I ain’t gonna disrespect him.”
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A lot of light-skinned stars on the Hawks
Risacher was the No.1 overall pick last year by the Hawks from France. Although he did not produce top pick numbers during his rookie year, he still averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while finishing second in the ROY voting and making the All-Rookie first team. But Zach has struggled this season, playing in just two of their first four games while averaging only 9.0 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.
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Meanwhile, Porzingis is playing a career-low 25.5 minutes per game in his first rodeo with the Hawks; his 4.5 rebounds per game output isn’t what is expected from a guy his size. Despite having KP, the Hawks are one of only five teams averaging fewer than 30 rebounds per game. Add a bottom-seven defensive rating, and it’s no wonder Atlanta is struggling early on.
But while Teague is right that Young, Alexander-Walker, Johnson, and Risascher can be classified as “light skin,” it’s not their color that’s causing the Hawks’ issues this season. As Jeff himself mentioned, light-skinned Brooks might be enough to give him that toughness. So yeah, while Teague is right, he simply could have said they need tough-minded players or something along those lines.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.