Former Celtics guard dreams of buying NBA team, Boston rival

In recent years, it has become commonplace for professional athletes – current and former – to use their hard-earned millions to become franchises, be it LeBron James and the Boston Red Sox, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Royals, or Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jeff Teague, who played 12 seasons in the NBA, including one with the Boston Celtics, would like to be the next former athlete to become a team owner. As Teague talked about Brady’s recent partial purchase of the Raiders, he began dreaming of spending a huge amount of money to buy the Atlanta Hawks – estimated to be worth $3.25 billion in 2023, according to Forbes.

“If I win $500 million or something in the lottery, I’ll give $100 million to the Hawks,” Teague revealed on the “Club 520 Podcast.” “I want to be a partner. Quite simply, as if I wanted to be there. But damn if (Brady) does that, that’s bullshit. Yes, it’s awesome.”

Teague added: “I couldn’t imagine giving anyone $40 million.”

Atlanta selected Teague 19th overall in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft and retained the 6-foot-2 guard for seven seasons to begin his career. Teague returned for one final run with the Hawks in 2019-20 – just before signing with the Celtics – ending a 543-game run averaging 11.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists with Atlanta. He was named an All-Star in 2014-15, averaged 15.9 points on 46% shooting from the field and finished ninth in Most Improved Player of the Year voting two years earlier.

Tony Ressler is the current principal owner of the Hawks and led the franchise’s last purchase (in 2015) for $850 million.