At their best, player hosted podcasts provide fans with a glimpse behind the scenes of what it’s like playing in the NBA. Too often, they become a place for revisionist history, with players using a platform with little-to-no pushback to shift narratives and make outlandish claims.
Jeff Teague’s Club 520 Podcast is among the absolute best when it comes to telling incredible stories without them being a self-serving attempt at laundering his reputation. If anything, Teague tends to be overly self-deprecating, usually telling stories about embarrassing moments he had on the court, laughing at his own misfortunes to the delight of his co-hosts. Other times, he gives refreshingly honest remembrances of things that happened he was a part of, as was the case in a recent episode when he discussed the Pacers getting swept by the Cavs in 2017 — with all four losses coming by single-digits.
In two of those games, the Pacers had a shot to win it, but missed both times. The first was CJ Miles missing a pullup from the midrange, which led to Paul George famously saying he’s “got to get the last shot” in those situations. Fast forward to Game 4 and PG got his wish, but bricked a three after Miles made sure to get him the ball. Teague recalled Miles having an incredible reaction after that Game 4 miss in the locker room.
I’m crying 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/0EY437v9pE
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) May 28, 2024
I vividly remember that era of NBA Twitter when folks were quick to hit photoshop or a video editor after losses, and that Paul George Gatorade commercial where he proclaimed “ball game” was constantly popping up after Indiana losses. It’s hysterical Miles was scrolling Twitter to look at the reaction to PG’s brick and showing Teague that video in the locker room is a hysterical anecdote. That’s just the right level of petty in that moment as a teammate of George’s. You can’t go out and retweet that, but finding a confidant to share that with and having a laugh about it is the most human of responses after getting publicly called out by your star only for him to fail in the exact same moment.