"My knees still suffering": Jeff Teague drops another nugget, claims De'Aaron Fox's speed made him retire
Jeff Teague enjoyed a remarkable 14-year NBA career as a soft-spoken point guard. His presence on podcasts, where he reflects on his basketball journey, adds depth to his post-playing days. Notably, he candidly revealed that De'Aaron Fox played a significant role in his contemplation of retirement from the sport.
Throughout his tenure, the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon secured an NBA All-Star Selection and clinched an NBA championship, an impressive conclusion to his journey.
Although Teague's prime moments were closely tied with the Atlanta Hawks, he gracefully transitioned to a bench role during the later stages of his career, contributing to teams like the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
Once the discussion on the podcast shifted to talking about De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings, Teague has an interesting story about him and Cleveland Cavaliers Darius Garland.
"I've got a story about Fox. He retired me. Him and Darius Garland retired me. Shout out to DG. They retired me," said Teague at the Club 520 podcast.
De'Aaron Fox is now in the prime of his career and has led the Kings to a playoff appearance for the first time in more than a decade and forced the Golden State Warriors to seven games during the first round of the playoffs.
Jeff Teague said De’Aaron Fox and Darius Garland retired him 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ELH0x5YurC
Teague bares that he was not able to handle the speed of Fox and it made him ready to come off the bench in his career.
"Fox made me wanna go to the bench," said Teague. "I was like, yeah, I'm ready to come off the bench. Man, he was running so fast one game, swear to God. He just kept running at me. I'm like, N*****, you think I'm sweet?"
WATCH: Jeff Teague discusses De'Aaron Fox in Club 520 podcast
De'Aaron Fox wants to get back at Jeff Teague
As a young NBA player in the league, De'Aaron Fox had to be baptized by the top guards in the league. That included Jeff Teague who was a premier point guard in his days with the Atlanta Hawks and had a decent run with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Teague, perplexed by Fox's sudden burst of energy during their matchups, humorously confessed:
"My knees still suffering from them changing directions," said Teague. "He was running so fast like what did I do to him? Like, why he wanna go at me? On that, did I do something? But I remember, I dunked on that n*****. Oh s*** yeah, I banged on him. And I said, damn, but after that he tried to kill me."
Jeff Teague now serves as the Atlanta Hawks regional scout and it was a way for him to give back to the NBA franchise that drafted him in the league.