Jeff Teague pushed back on Monta Ellis’ claim that the Golden State Warriors could have achieved the same level of success with Ellis instead of Stephen Curry.
Ellis recently argued that Golden State could have enjoyed a similar championship run had the franchise kept him rather than building around Curry.
Teague, who played alongside Ellis with the Indiana Pacers, strongly disagreed.
“Imma keep it real with you. He was never better than Steph Curry,” Teague said on “The Club 520 Podcast.”
Teague did name one star guard he believes could have potentially produced comparable results with Golden State.
“… If you said ‘We’re going to take Steph Curry out of there, and put Dame Lillard, then I would be like ‘Okay I could see them get the same results.”
While Teague described Ellis as “cold,” he emphasized that Ellis and Curry were simply different levels of players.
Curry has developed into arguably the greatest shooter in NBA history, winning four championships and two MVP awards while becoming the league’s all-time leader in made three-pointers.
Ellis enjoyed a productive 12-year NBA career, averaging 17.8 points per game, but never earned an All-Star selection.
The two were once Warriors teammates before Golden State traded Ellis to Milwaukee in 2012.
Curry remained with the franchise and eventually became the centerpiece of its championship dynasty.
Former NBA players throw Monta Ellis’ under the bus for ridiculous Steph Curry claim https://t.co/a1RSNQ4crY pic.twitter.com/pxJAKZDwa6
— New York Post (@nypost) August 11, 2026
