Former NBA guard Jeff Teague enjoyed a really solid 14-year career. That included an All-Star selection with the Atlanta Hawks in 2015 and an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Throughout his career Teague was widely considered one of the quickest guards in the league, and he used that speed to get into the paint consistently. In fact, for about three or four seasons he was right around the top of the league in points in the paint, which is never easy for a guard.
In the twilight of Teague’s career the once dynamic guard says he knew it was time to go when he faced off against rising stars DeAaron Fox and Darius Garland. During a recent episode of his “Club 520 Podcast,” Teague had a recollection of how it all came to an end for him.
Teague Says Both Made Him Contemplate Retirement
We all know the one word athletes hate to hear or think of is retirement. But, Teague mentioned after facing both Fox and Garland if forced him to rethink some things.
“I’ve got a story about Fox. He retired me. Him and Darius Garland retired me. Shout out to DG. They retired me. Fox made me wanna go to the bench,” Teague said. “I was Iike, 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—a, you think I’m sweet?”
Teague isn’t the only one that Fox and Garland have been doing things like that too, both have become stars, and are leading the revived Cavaliers and Kings franchises.
Garland And Fox Coming Off Big Years
With both Garland and Fox coming off seasons where they led their respective franchises to top four seeds in the postseason, it was probably smart for Teague to get out when he did. Both have now been All-Stars, with Garland getting the nod in 2022 and Fox in 2023, and Fox was also named third team All-NBA as well. He led the league in clutch scoring and became a real star on the playoff stage.
Now comes the point in their careers where they’ll need to continue to add to their repertoire and become an even tougher cover for opposing teams nightly.
