Jeff Teague

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Teague attended Pike High School in Indianapolis, Indiana where as a senior in 2006–07, he averaged 22 points and four assists per game. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Teague was listed as the No. 9-point guard and the No. 57 player in the nation in 2007. He played college basketball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. As a freshman in 2007–08, Teague was second on the team in scoring, scoring 13.9 points per game, just behind fellow freshman James Johnson's 14.6. As a sophomore in 2008–09, Teague became the first Wake Forest All-American since Chris Paul in 2004–05, and the 13th in school history. He was selected as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, the John Wooden Award and the Oscar Robertson Trophy. He led Wake Forest in scoring with 18.8 points per game, in passing with 3.5 assists per game, in steals with 1.9 per game, and in three-point percentage at 44.1%. He scored his 1,000th point with the Demon Deacons and became the 46th player in the history of the school to join the club. He scored a career-high 34 points on January 11, 2009, in a 92–89 victory over North Carolina. On April 8, 2009, Teague declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

In Their Own Story

On December 30, 2016, while playing for the Indiana Pacers against the Chicago Bulls, Teague orchestrated an offensive masterclass that saw him record a career-high 17 assists in a 111–101 victory. This performance highlighted his evolution from a role player to a primary floor general capable of controlling the game's pace. Earlier in his career, on April 14, 2010, he had already shown flashes of this potential with a 24-point, 15-assist effort against the Cleveland Cavaliers as a rookie. His resilience was tested during his tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he battled injuries including a Grade 1 MCL sprain in late 2017 and multiple foot issues that eventually led to season-ending surgery in March 2019. Despite these setbacks, his drive remained evident until he secured an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.

Reader's Guide

Teague was selected with the 19th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2009 NBA draft. On July 20, 2009, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Hawks. As a rookie in 2009–10, he averaged 3.2 points, 1.7 assists and 0.9 rebounds in 10.1 minutes (.396 FG%, .837 FT%), playing in 71 games (three starts) and ranking tenth among rookies in assists. He finished the regular season in style, setting then career highs in several categories with a 24-point, 15-assist, five-rebound effort against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 14, hitting 11-of-19 from the field and playing all 48 minutes. He went on to play sparingly in the team's playoff run, a run that saw the Hawks lose to the Orlando Magic in the Conference semi-finals. In 2010–11, the second-year guard averaged 5.2 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 13.8 minutes (.438 FG%, .375 3FG%, .794 FT%). He scored in double-figures 12 times, including three 20-point efforts. He led the team in assists four times and scoring on three occasions. On March 12, 2011, he tied his career high of 24 points in a 91–82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. During the Hawks' 2011 first-round playoff match-up with the Orlando Magic, Teague played under 10 minutes in just two games, as the Hawks won 4–2. He was moved into the starting spot for the team's second-round match-up with the Chicago Bulls following an injury to starter Kirk Hinrich. Teague started all six games against the Bulls, a series the Hawks lost 4–2. Teague averaged 14.8 points and 4.2 assists in 38.1 minutes in his six playoff starts, well above his regular season averages. Teague in 2011–12, started all 66 games, averaging 12.6 points, 4.9 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33.1 minutes (.476 FG%, .342 3FG%, .757 FT%). He ranked eighth in the NBA in steals (106), 10th in steals per game, 20th in steal-to-turnover ratio (0.79), 22nd in assists (321), 23rd in assists per game, and 40th in FG%. He had ten 20-point efforts and three double-doubles during the regular season, in addition to four double-digit scoring games during the Hawks' 4–2 first-round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics. In 2012–13, Teague recorded career highs of 14.6 points and 7.2 assists, along with 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 32.9 minutes (.451 FG%, .359 3FG%, .881 FT%), appearing in a team-high 80 games (78 starts). He recorded ten 20-point/10-assist games in 2012–13, the e

Did You Know?

• Teague was selected 19th overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
• He made an appearance as an NBA All-Star in 2015.
• In Game 6 of the 2015 Eastern Conference semi-finals, Teague tallied 13 assists without a single point in a victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
• Teague scored a career-high 34 points on January 11, 2009, in a 92–89 victory over North Carolina while at Wake Forest.