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Jeff Teague is one of the best storytellers among NBA players, past or present. You see it when he talks about things other guys did or said during his 12 years in the association. But the stories are even better when he talks about his own experiences.
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That’s exactly what he did on the “Straight Game” podcast in February 2025.
Teague’s flirtation with Woodson’s daughter
Teague took listeners back to a time that already feels ancient to most. Instagram. Snapchat. Twitch. TikTok. None of that stuff was blowing up. Instead, Facebook was “hot,” he recalled.
Teague was just an NBA rookie at the time, having been picked out of Wake Forest University. He was spending some time online there. And somewhere along the way, he started messaging with a girl. Some texts here. Some there. Both sides were “cool” throughout, the 38-year-old Indiana native recalled.
It wasn’t long after that, Teague continued, that he got called down the hall. His then-Atlanta Hawks head coach, Mike Woodson, wanted to have a word. What followed was a conversation that put Teague through a real rollercoaster of emotions.
It seemingly started off well enough. Teague wasn’t quite sure yet, though. Woodson told him he was a “good young man” and said other things along those lines. Then came the twist.
“He (Woodson) was like, ‘I don’t mind you talking to my daughter, I heard you guys are friends,’” recounted Teague.
He recalled being taken aback by that.
“I froze up, like, ‘Who’s your daughter?’” Teague replied.
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A true rookie mistake
Teague had already figured it out right then and there. Woodson didn’t even need to spell it out. He did anyway.
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“He (Woodson) said his daughter’s name and I was just sitting in the chair like, oh s—t,” remarked the former 6’3’’ point guard.
After that bombshell, Teague sought out his teammates for a conversation. Mike Bibby and Joe Smith were two veterans on that Hawks team. They were the ones the first-year player told about what had just happened. Teague stressed that he really didn’t know the girl’s true identity.
Bibby and Smith could only smirk about it. Likely seeing it as a classic rookie mistake, they agreed that young Teague not doing his due diligence was idiotic, to say the least.
Decades later, Bibby had another little quip about it when he heard the story again as Teague joined his podcast. He joked that his guest already knew it was Woodson’s daughter. And he had been messaging her anyway with one thing in mind: to “get playing time.”
As for playing time, Teague hit the hardwood in 71 regular-season games that year. He only started three, but still contributed steadily as Bibby’s backup. The Hawks finished the season with a 53-29 record. Good enough for third place in their conference. Eventually, though, they got swept by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Teague’s first playoff run didn’t end the way he wanted. Still, that season gave the now-Pike High School head coach plenty of stories to tell, with this one arguably being the best.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 12:14 PM.