Since 2021, Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young‘s games against the New York Knicks have started with deafening chants, particularly curses, such as the “Fu–k Trae Young!”
We all know the reason for this: Young showing no mercy against the Knicks in the 2021 Eastern Conference opening round and rubbing their defeat on the faces of New York fans.
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He has joined a notable top five list of New York villains created by long-time patron, award-winning director Spike Lee.
It is an elite list that includes Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
For him, there is a sense of pride in being labeled a villain in New York, which has one of the wildest and loudest crowds in NBA history. So one way or another, Young always tried to give his best performance and live up to that label, even though he did not ask for it.
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“I mean, it’s cool. Thing is, I didn’t grow up ever thinking I was going to be the villain in New York,” he said on the “Club 520 Podcast.”
“…but it is what it is. You just embrace it.”Â
A villain was born
In the 2020-2021 season, the Knicks entered the playoffs for the first time since 2013. New York was bannered by the likes of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Reggie Bullock and an aging Derrick Rose, who powered the team to a fourth-place finish in the East, built on 41 wins.
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After eight years, the Knicks were back in the playoff stage, where they would square off against the fifth-seeded Hawks, who ended the regular season with the same record (41-31). Atlanta had just ended a drought of its own, making its first playoff appearance since 2017.
It was also Young’s playoff debut–and he was not about to squander the opportunity to make his name known. And he did that right off the bat, breaking the hearts of the Knicks and their fans with a go-ahead floater in Game 1. Of course, Young had to provoke the angry and disappointed crowd.
Although New York bounced back in the next game, Atlanta would eventually take the next three games to complete the gentleman sweep. Young posted 29.2 points and 9.8 assists – and a villain was born in the Big Apple.
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Young still feels love from NY fans
Young left a bitter taste in the fans’ mouths before their opening series against New York ended. He sank a dagger triple over Bullock in the waning seconds of Game 5 before taking a bow in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd.
Since that series, Young has made it his mission to not only defeat the Knicks in each of their battles, but also get under their fans’ skins, even replying to them directly after the game.
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When Atlanta bested New York in the 2024 In-Season Tournament, Young pretended to roll a dice on NY’s logo.
However, Young clarified that fans have never gone too far with their hate against him, stressing that everything they do–their interactions, chants, Young’s deliberate provocation–is done in the spirit of competition and love for basketball,
“They say all these things on camera, but when they see me, it’s a different way for the most part,” he said. “When I walk around the city, I get a lot of love. It’s not like I feel scared to go around the city.”
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As Atlanta enters a new NBA season, Young is expected to lead the team once again. Should the Knicks stand in the Hawks’ way, like they did in 2021, expect that Ice Trae will deliver a performance worthy of the New Yorkers’ “Fu—k Trae Young” chants.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.