In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green interviews former NBA guard Jeff Teague, who shares vivid stories about his former teammate James "JJ" Johnson. Teague describes Johnson as a feared enforcer on the court, recounting how Johnson could knock out multiple opponents and would adopt a kickboxing stance during practice. He explains that Johnson comes from a Samoan family of black belts, with rigorous training that gave him exceptionally strong legs for kickboxing. Teague recalls college days at Wake Forest, where Johnson’s kickboxing record (10‑0) and his willingness to fight football players earned him a reputation. They discuss Johnson’s draft position (16th overall) and his role with the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks, noting how his presence altered team dynamics and allowed teammates to play more freely. Teague also mentions Johnson’s post‑retirement plan to return to kickboxing and even challenge UFC champion Jon Jones. The conversation is interspersed with casual banter and a brief DraftKings Sportsbook sponsorship plug.
Chapters
Welcome to the brand new Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any of our content. Speaking of James Johnson, probably the most feared man in the NBA. Definitely.
I seen him in action for real, so.
I was just about to say, have you ever seen him get at somebody?
Yeah, I seen him. So that's why when people be like, "Oh, it's a story, is it?" Bro, I've seen this in real life. Y'all do not want that, bro. I tell everybody, I seen him knock out 3 dudes at one time. I seen him knock out a 7-footer. I done seen it all. Like, he not nothing to play with, bro. And he get into a kickboxing stance. So like, you know, you about to fight somebody, you square up. He pulling his pants up kickboxing style. Like, I'm like, nah. And I remember one time I told him like, I don't care, you gonna have to show me. That whole day in practice, bro, I was sitting there thinking like, if this dude really show me, bro, I ain't gonna make it home, bro. I'ma have to do something different, bro. I'ma have to go to the store and get something 'cause this ain't gonna work. His hands is different, bro.
That's hilarious, man. Are y'all still close today? I know he been in with the Pacers last few years.
Yes, my God. I don't see him as much. 'Cause you know how the NBA is. I'm chilling, he moving around, but that's my guy. When I see him, it's my brother, bro. We did so much in school and been together, man. He the nicest dude in the world, bro. He'd give you a shirt off his back. And how he treat people is unbelievable. But when he turn on that switch to be the black belt James Johnson, bro, nobody wants that, bro. And I've seen videos of his whole family, his whole family black belts.
Really?
Oh, from the pops. His mom, she's Samoan. Like, their whole family is lethal.
Okay, this is all starting to make sense.
Yeah, so his whole family, I think he's got like, it's like 6 of them, right? Brothers. He got videos, his dad beating his legs with like wood to keep, like, but they got their feet up 6 inches, beating his legs with wood. So when you see James, his legs is massive and super strong, but it's for kickboxing.
Mm-hmm.
So, nah, he different, bro. Yeah. Somebody trying, bro.
I'm telling y'all.
I just want somebody to try. Y'all see, bro, it's crazy.
What is also crazy is what he does for that team, no one will ever know. And I know what he does for the team because playing against them young dudes, the demeanor they carry.
Yeah.
It's almost as such a like, y'all ain't gonna do nothing.
Yeah.
And it's as such, like, if you know, you know why.
Yeah, like big bro right there.
Absolutely. So they out there, they just playing free as hell. And ultimately knowing like, ain't nobody gonna mess with us.
Yeah.
And it allows them to just ball. It allows them to just play free, which is their style, which is their brand of basketball. And when they didn't bring him in initially last year, I was like, they don't have they enforcer. It's gonna look a lot different. I'm not sure, I probably should know. I don't know who the hell's the general manager of the Indiana Pacers. Pritchard.
Oh, he's still there? Yeah, KP's still there.
"Wow, I didn't know he was still there. Okay." Kevin Pritchard, I did not know he was still there. He realized really quick, we should get him back in.
That Milwaukee situation, they said, "Yeah, gotta bring JJ back for sure." But that's how I was in college, bro. Our freshman year, they kept calling me Mike Conley when I came to Wake Forest, the football players. And they used to, it would piss me off. Like, he like, "Yo." They was like, "Mike Conley, what's up?" And I'm like, "Bro, don't call me Mike Conley, bro." And JJ, we ain't really know each other yet. He was like, "You calling Mike Conley again, I'm gonna knock you out." But didn't nobody know that he had this kickboxing resume. And we like, I'm like, "Damn, bro, right on." He like, "Nah, bro, I'm tired of hearing him say that, bro. He say it again, I'm gonna knock him out." And you know, football players like, "Well, show me." James like, "Come on." Football players like, "We just talking shit, bro. We cool, bro." And then somebody told him, like one of the coaches was like, "Hey, bro, leave him alone." "Hey, he not who y'all think he is." And everybody like, "What'd he do?" And the coaches started telling them like, "Bro, he a kickboxer." And so we didn't know either. So we had a meeting as a team. This dude had a kickboxing match set up while we in college. No, this is real true. The true story. Y'all, I told y'all plenty of time. The coach has to sit us down and tell us like, "Yo, are you gonna be a kickboxer or a basketball player?" He like, "I need some money." He like, "Damn." Oh, you about to go fight for money? Oh, I'm not fucking with this dude. Hey, you're different, bro. I'm like, you about to really go fight? He's like, yeah. I think he was like 10-0 or something. He had a record already. He was just like, yeah, I'm like 10-0 in kickboxing. I need some extra money around here. He had a match set up, bro. He had a— he chose basketball though. But it's crazy.
He was what, the 4th pick in the draft?
The 6th pick in the draft? He went 16. 16 pick in the draft? I went 19, he went 16, yeah.
And he wanted to kickbox.
Bro, I'm telling you, that's what he said he was gonna do when he retired.
It's a much better life being a basketball player.
Oh, way better. But he said after he retired, he's gonna be a kickboxer. He gonna go back. You ain't see him talk crazy to Jon Jones? Oh, I know he not doing that. But Jon Jones is different. JJ, I love you to death. Listen, I don't know, that's a different world. I don't want no smoke with either one of y'all. But he said he wanted to fight Jon Jones. I'm like, All right.
That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah, I don't want, I'm cool on that too, bro.
I'm cool, bro.
I'm cool on that.
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