Marquis Teague’s dad says he’s to thank for Anthony Davis going to Kentucky

Anthony Davis is one of the best players in Kentucky Basketball history, the best of the John Calipari era. Apparently, we have someone else to thank for getting him to Lexington: Shawn Teague, Marquis Teague’s father. Davis’ growth spurt in high school is legendary, shooting him from 6’3″ to 6’10” in his junior year and making him one of the most coveted recruits in the country. When Shawn Teague saw Davis play on the EYBL circuit during that growth spurt, he knew he had to call Calipari. Marquis had committed to Kentucky that April. “We were in Fort Wayne, and I saw AD playing, and he was with Mean Streets, and I was like, man, this kid is for real,” Teague said on his son Jeff’s podcast, Club 520. “Who is he? And everybody didn’t really know, because I guess that’s when he hit his growth spurt, and he didn’t have any kind of name that was behind him at that time.” Teague walked up to Davis and asked him where he was going to college. At the time, Davis was a top 350 recruit. His first scholarship offer was from Cleveland State. “I walked up to him, and I said, ‘Man, what school are you going to?’ And then he was like, ‘I’m not sure yet.’ And then I said, ‘Man, would you like to go to Kentucky?’ He said, ‘Kentucky? No, they ain’t never reached out to me.’ I said, ‘Oh, they’re getting ready to. Oh, they’re getting ready to.'” Teague called Calipari and told him to get someone to the EYBL event as soon as possible. “I said, ‘Man, y’all got to get somebody here today. Somebody here today. There’s a kid that y’all are missing. I’m telling you, he’s going to be super tough.’ I never said that he was going to be the number one player, but I just told him you can’t miss on him because if you don’t get him, you’re getting ready to lose a big piece.’ So they came, and next thing you know, they were like, ‘Wow, this kid.'” Of course, word traveled fast. All the big-name programs got involved with Davis, including Ohio State, which Davis was drawn to since he grew up cheering for LeBron James. He actually verbally committed to the Buckeyes, but ultimately chose Kentucky. Davis has always said that’s because Calipari told him during his recruiting visit that he would have to earn his starting spot, that it wouldn’t be promised to him. It didn’t hurt that Cal had just sent John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Patrick Patterson, and Daniel Orton to the pros. Of course, there are the rumors that the Davis family had major financial incentive to choose the Cats. For whatever reason, Davis wound up in Kentucky Blue, winning the 2012 national championship alongside Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Darius Miller, Doron Lamb, and Marquis Teague, a journey that apparently started with an assist from Teague’s dad, Shawn. Shoutout to Papa Teague. Jeff Teague dad talks about how he’s one of the reasons Anthony Davis went to Kentucky . After he made a phone to John Calipari about checking out this young AD who was unknown at the time pic.twitter.com/SXh9xDPOmQ— NBA Hoops (@Thechat101) July 16, 2026 You can hear the entire podcast below. Shawn also talks about Marquis’ recruitment, including how Louisville fans thought he had committed to the Cards during his recruiting visit for the Kentucky vs. Louisville game, and why he thought Calipari was the better coach for his son than Rick Pitino, who coached Shawn at Boston College. Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.