Jeff Teague was good-natured about it – but the Hawks point guard indeed missed the team bus leaving the Palace at Auburn Hills after defeating the Pistons Saturday night.
A photo circulated on social media following the incident with Teague talking on his phone, with a pizza box in his other hand, in the arena’s empty bus portal. Teague even posted the photo on his Instagram, although it has since been deleted from his account.
Teague said he was simply talking to his sister following the game.
“I was out there talking to her too long,” Teague told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The bus returned to pick up Teague and the team flew on to Chicago, where they will play the Bulls Monday.
“They’ll never forget me again,” Teague said. “Hopefully, I’ll get a better pizza.”
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer also chalked up the incident to an odd occurrence.
“I guess on rare, rare occasions sometimes you could actually leave without your entire group,” Budenholzer said.
