Jeff Teague hilariously recalls being humbled by LeBron James in the EC Finals.

LeBron James is one of those leaders who cannot stand it when his competitors treat him or his colleagues with disdain. Jeff Teague learned the same lesson when he attempted to intimidate Matthew Dellavedova during the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. However, his tactics just served to encourage ‘The King’ to average 30.3 points throughout the four games of that series.

“LeBron’s first year back in Cleveland…We had a game. I gave Dellavedova some crazy work. I told him it was going to be a long fu***ng night,” Teague said on The 520 podcast. “LeBron was like, ‘Can you score more than me.’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ Bron like, ‘You gonna have to show me.’ I averaged like 18 points, and LeBron had like 36 that series.”

Jeff Teague didn’t learn his lesson against LeBron

The four-time MVP not only made sure the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Atlanta Hawks in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals with a point differential of 10.75 per game but also averaged 30.3 points, 11 rebounds, and 9.3 assists on the way to facing the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

That being said, when Teague’s Hawks rematched against the Cavs in the 2016 Eastern Conference semifinals, the 6-foot-3 guard seemed adamant about defeating James and the Cavaliers, determined to force a different result.

 

But little did he realize that his ‘not this year’ taunt would only inspire James to play his best in that series, averaging 24.3 points per game while ensuring the Cavs swept the Hawks once again.

It is never a good idea to trash-talk LeBron James

Setting aside James’ dazzling display against Teague, it’s not the only instance where ‘The King’ has shown his abilities to school the bullies.

Playing for Westchester Comets at the time, Trevor Ariza once decided to trash-talk James along with his uncle in a high school matchup against St. Vincent.

Contrary to some fans’ belief that LeBron’s hunger and desperation to prove himself enhanced once he entered the NBA, that isn’t true. Interestingly, the four-time MVP has been imparting lessons to bullies since a young age. In the spoken-off high school showdown, ‘Switchblades” provocation not only encouraged James to posterize him but also to ignite the game with a 52-point performance.

That being said, this instance truly indicates that it wasn’t just a matter of LeBron taking offense when someone disrespected his abilities; since an early age, he made a strong statement that ‘The Chosen One’ should never be underestimated.