Madison Square Garden is considered to be the “Mecca of Basketball” for a reason. With its rich history and passionate fans, it's a dream destination for NBA players. At the same time, it can also be one of the most terrifying places to play.
Whether you’re a New York Knick or a player of the opposing team, the crowd at MSG is not afraid to show their emotions and make their opinions known. And for Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young , his experience playing in front of these fans is always memorable.
Flipped off by a young girl
Trae, a 6-foot-1 guard with tremendous scoring and playmaking abilities, has been scorching opposing defenses ever since he arrived in the NBA as the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. After a breathtaking collegiate career at Oklahoma, he carried his momentum to the NBA, becoming an elite point guard trying to lift the Hawks to new heights.
While Trae is capable of torching any team in the NBA with his long-range bombs and darting drives down the lane, he has grown particularly fond of torturing the Knicks. In his career, “Ice Trae” averages 25.7 points and 9.5 assists per game against New York. It’s these scoring explosions that haven’t endeared Trae to Knicks fans—even the young ones.
“I'll never forget this young little girl, like, gosh, 10 maybe—if I had to guess, maybe 10 to 12—just giving me the finger, like, right behind the scorer's table. And I'm looking at her dad, like, I don't say nothing to her; I just look at the dad, and I'm like, ‘That's cool?’” Young shared on Paul George’s podcast.
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Comes with the game
Trae has been in the NBA for six seasons, so he already has a solid understanding of which fanbases can get particularly rowdy. But even with that experience, he admits that the hate and contempt he gets from Knicks fans is on another level. This was never more evident than in the 2021 NBA Playoffs when Young’s Hawks faced off against the Knicks in the first round.
Trae was in his element in that series, averaging 29.2 points and 9.8 assists in Atlanta’s 4-1 series win. With each booming shot that Young made at the Garden, the chants of “F**k Trae Young” grew louder and louder. The Oklahoma University product disclosed that these didn’t bother him at all, understanding it’s all part of the game and the NBA experience for these ardent fans.
“I think it just comes with the game, bro,” Young stated. “They be having the most fun outside too, with them little skits. They be having—the New York people are funny, you know?"
As Trae prepares for his seventh NBA season, looking to elevate the franchise into playoff contention, there’s no doubt he knows when he’ll face the Knicks at MSG, and he expects nothing less than an electric but hostile atmosphere.
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