‘I wanted to run into this n***a so bad’: Jeff Teague relives intense battle with Chris Paul in 2016

Now that Chris Paul has signed for a Warriors team with whom he’s fought many battles and faced fierce encounters with some of their players, many other athletes around the NBA have recalled some stories about playing against the 38-year-old. After all, his intensity when competing is probably the reason why Golden State wants him on their side. 

One of the most recent stories that has surfaced this summer is Jeff Teague’s recollection of his famous brawl against Paul back when he was a Clippers player in the 2016/17 season. Even though the ordeal stayed on the court, they were very close to a fist fight.

“I was playing for the Pacers, he was playing for the Clippers,” Teague said on a podcast this week about the 12-time All-Star.”It was the first time he ever really talked sh*t to me, and the first time I ever really wanted to fight him. So before the game, you gotta do warmups and sh*t, and I see him. He like, ‘JT what’s up baby!’ All political and sh*t.

“He had some Wake Forest shoes, so I’m like, ‘them is decent right there. I might need a pair of them CPs right there’. Just trying to keep the conversation going,” he remembered.

Jeff Teague on his podcast talks about a time he wanted to fight Chris Paul 😂

(via: @mrnotime_) pic.twitter.com/Waao3ljkFS

— Backcourt Alerts (@BackcourtAlerts) July 27, 2023

Teague admitted his innocence as he never expected his opponent to use this against him during the match. Now that we come to think of it, the former Bucks player should’ve known better, as this is classic Chris Paul.

“The game start, we start playing against each other and he doing a lot of flopping,” Teague shared. “He was trying to give me two fouls, and I’m like ‘quit flopping n***a, play! You scared to guard?’ This n***a walked to the end of our bench, where Paul George was sitting, and was like, ‘P, this n***a right here talking sh*t like he ain’t just ask me for some shoes before the game!”

Even though their discussions nearly came to blows, you can tell that Teague still has blood in his eyes after all these years. “You know what I was on. Rest of the game, you already know I was on Ricky Rubio timing. I wanted to run into this n***a so bad,” he confessed.

Teague is a former All-Star player who spent only one year in Indiana after 14 seasons in the NBA

Teague is mostly known for his time playing in Atlanta, as he was part of the Hawks for eight-long years. However, this story that just transpired came from his lone season in Indiana, as he was traded to Minnesota after his 2016/17 campaign wearing the Pacers jersey.

One of his most memorable plays was five years ago playing for the Timberwolves. With less than two minutes remaining in overtime, the guard hit a shot that would eventually mean a 112-106 win against the Nuggets, breaking their 14-year playoff drought.

In his last years as an NBA athlete, he was traded from Orlando to Milwaukee in what would end up being a championship run for the Bucks. It was the 2020/21 campaign, and Teague played 21 matches during the second half of that season.

As the guard averaged 6.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 15.9 minutes per contest, he was able to earn an NBA-title ring and decided to hang up his basketball shoes that year and retire as a champion.