"Gotta Get Some Dark Skinned Dudes": Former NBA Champ Sparks Outrage With Eyebrow-Raising Hawks Statement

Jeff Teague made some controversial comments about the Atlanta Hawks' current roster on Tuesday's episode of the "Club 520 Podcast". Atlanta has had a terrible start to the 2025-26 NBA season.

They have lost three out of their first four matchups and are on a two-game losing streak. Teague started his career with the Hawks and is a big fan of the Atlanta team. On his podcast, he expressed his disappointment in the team and said that the Hawks needed some gritty players on their roster.

"We gotta get some dark skinned dudes," Teague said.

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The podcast's panel cracked up in laughter as soon as they heard Teague's comment. One of the co-hosts of the former NBA champion jokingly said that Teague was on the first team all-racism.

"It’s not about being racist, we need somebody with some Grit, anger or something," Teague added.

Atlanta does need some strong defenders on the court. They have not suffered more than a 20-point defeat in their last four games, proving that their offense is capable of standing beside the rest of the league.

However, they have very few options on the bench when it comes to players who excel in locking down other players, blocking shots, or applying pressure on the ball. The Hawks' front office needs to make some moves before the trade deadline, or expect another lackluster season, where their team fails to make the playoffs.

"We got a lot of finesse players": Jeff Teague elaborates on Hawks' roster problems

After all the laughs and jokes, Jeff Teague laid out his thoughts on the type of players the Hawks need to get to improve their season. He said that the roster was filled with players who had finesse but lacked aggression on the court.

"I swear to god, we need Isaiah Stewart and we need one wing that jsut like a little more agrresive" Teague said. "We got a lot of finesse players like Porzingis is a finesse player, Zach is a finesse player, Jalen Johnson is a finesse player." (Timestamp: 1:01:48) "We just don't got nobody who's kind of like a grit, grind me. I even like a Marcus Smart type of player, like somebody who might foul somebody for real."

The NBA trade deadline for the 2025-26 season closes on 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 5, 2026. Atlanta will face the Brooklyn Nets as their next opponent on Wednesday.

Edited by Avi Shravan