Jeff Teague recalls how Derek Fisher got so heated and cussed him out: “I told him he was sad”

During his playing days, Derek Fisher was a proud and fierce competitor locked in a 6-foot-1 frame. A cool customer and a veteran presence on those title-winning Los Angeles Lakers squads, there was little any opponent could do to get a rise out of the native of Little Rock, Arkansas. However, one player who got into D-Fish’s head was point guard Jeff Teague .

A ferocious guard in his early years in the league, the former Wake Forest star riled Fisher up when he called the seasoned veteran “sad” in one of their match-ups.

Had his moment

Although Teague possessed a lot of talent, he didn’t get an opportunity to showcase those right away due to the number of veterans ahead of him in the rotation. In a game against the Lakers during his rookie year, the Atlanta Hawks were getting blown out, and Jeff was sent into the game for some mop-up duty.

However, Teague got hot and sparked a furious comeback attempt by the Hawks, prompting the Lakers to send their starters back into the game, including D-Fish. But the Atlanta guard was on such a roll and continued scoring and talking trash.

“D-Fish cussed me out one day. Damn, not really cussed me out, but like tried to son me, 'cause I told him he was sad,” Jeff shared on Club 520.

“I think I was a rookie, my rookie or my second year, I think it was my rookie year. And I got in the game; we're getting blown out, but we make a comeback, and they subbed him back in. And I'm scoring—I think I had like 12 to 15 points in the fourth quarter. And I was like, ‘Yeah, sad ass ni***, like this ni*** is sad, man,’ like I'm just talking, 'cause we're coming back. He got mad,” the one-time All-Star narrated.

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A tense conversation

At that point, Fisher sought to have a conversation with the young guard.

“He came to me, he was like, ‘Don't get it fuc*** up. I used to get buckets.’ I'm like, ‘All right, what this ni*** talking to me for?' He was like, ‘No, no, you need to understand this, young fella. There's a role in the NBA; you gotta play a role. Go back and watch my highlights with Golden State and Utah. I wasn't the same player. I used to get it in. Don't get it fuc*** up,” Teague said of what Derek told him.

To Fisher’s point, after leaving the Lakers, he went to Golden State and Utah and did well, averaging 11.7 points and 3.7 assists per game. Now, out of the considerable shadow of Kobe Bryant, Fisher came into his own and sometimes looked for his shot in those three seasons away from the City of Angels.

As for Teague, he soon understood what Derek was harping about regarding playing a role once you become a veteran.

“I fast-forwarded, and I'm like, ‘Damn, ni*** was right.' Like, you do gotta play a role. When I got to 30, they got me in the corner, man. Got me in the corner. I went to Milwaukee, like, ‘Damn, I remember Derek Fisher.’ Now I see why D-Fish was going through it,” Teague disclosed.

Jeff was referring to his final years in the NBA, where he played for Boston and Milwaukee, playing the role of backup point guard. Teague, though, finished his career on a high, winning an NBA title with the Bucks in 2021.

Related: Jeff Teague hilariously recalls having a pair of Jordan Concords stolen from him back when he was a kid