{"id":637024,"date":"2026-03-03T17:35:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T17:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/637024\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T17:35:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T17:35:12","slug":"wizards-trae-young-ejected-from-bench-days-before-expected-d-c-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/637024\/","title":{"rendered":"Wizards’ Trae Young ejected from bench days before expected D.C. debut"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trae Young<\/a> has yet to play a game for the Washington Wizards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The four-time All Star has, however, already been ejected from a game as a member of the team.<\/p>\n

That happened Monday night, three days before Young\u2019s expected debut for the team that acquired him in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 7. He has not played in an NBA game since Dec. 27 because of knee and quadriceps injuries.<\/p>\n

Earlier on Monday, Young posted a video<\/a> on Instagram that showed him in Wizards gear and ended with \u201c3\/5\u201d on the screen, indicating the date Washington hosts the Utah Jazz later this week. Before his team\u2019s game against the Houston Rockets on Monday night, Wizards coach Brian Keefe said Young was trending toward being able to play in the Utah game.<\/p>\n

Still, Young was in street clothes and watching the Rockets-Wizards game on the bench at Capital One Arena. During the third quarter, Houston\u2019s Tari Eason shoved Washington\u2019s Jamir Watkins to the floor, an incident that did not draw a whistle from the referees. <\/p>\n

A few seconds later, after a foul was called on Eason for a different incident involving Watkins, Young stepped onto the court while yelling at referee Jacyn Goble apparently over the previous no-call against Eason. Goble called a technical foul on Young, then spoke with crew chief Tony Brothers and umpire Marat Kogut.<\/p>\n

Brothers then announced that the technical foul had been called on Young for running onto the court and that Young had been ejected from the game. Eason also was ejected.<\/p>\n

Young gave high fives to fans as he left toward the locker room. He did not speak to reporters after the Wizards\u2019 123-118 loss but joked about his ejection on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t expect me to get ejected too many more times D.C.,\u201d Young wrote<\/a>, adding a crying-with-laughter emoji, \u201cbut I\u2019m definitely bringing that energy & competitiveness when I\u2019m back for my brothers!\u201d<\/p>\n

After the game, Keefe praised Young for having his fellow player\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he was just sticking up for his teammates, which I thought was great,\u201d Keefe told reporters<\/a>. \u201cObviously, the refs missed a call in which our guy got knocked down, and I loved how our teammates stuck with him. So, whatever happened in that moment, I was actually proud of him because he stuck up for his teammates and I really care about that type of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keefe added that it\u2019s an example of the type of engagement Young has shown since he\u2019s joined the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nothing that he\u2019s not been doing the whole time since he\u2019s been here,\u201d Keefe said. \u201cHe\u2019s talking to everybody in every timeout. He sees so much. He has so much stuff to share. He\u2019s completely engaged in the whole game. So I am not surprised that he stood up [for] his teammates. That\u2019s the type of guy he is, and we\u2019re lucky to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n