The old saying goes, “Time heals all wounds” – unless you’re a New York Knicks fan and Trae Young is involved, then it just lets it fester.

Knicks fans’ young public enemy No. 1 returns to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday for the NBA Cup quarterfinals (7 p.m. ET on ESPN). Before he was drafted No. 5 in 2018, Young was optimistic that he could be selected by the Knicks.

“If I am fortunate enough to play in New York City, I would be honored and ready to get to work and help this franchise win,” he said.

After a draft day trade with the Dallas Mavericks, Young landed with the Atlanta Hawks. Wednesday marks the 20th meeting between Young’s Hawks and the Knicks in the regular season – they have only won six of those meetings.

However, the Hawks guard certainly has bragging rights for the Knicks after helping eliminate them in the first round of the 2021 Eastern Conference playoffs. He averaged 29.2 points and 9.8 assists as Atlanta swept New York in five games.

This series sparked a feud between Young and New York, which resulted in spontaneous chants of “F— Trae Young” from Knicks fans, even when the Knicks were not playing the Hawks. Knicks fans memorably chanted this phrase after a win against the Boston Celtics in the 2021-22 season opener. But that’s just the tip of the evil iceberg.

Here’s a look at key moments between Young and the Knicks.

Trae bows

In his first postseason appearance of 2021, Young performed early, dropping 32 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Game 1. He hit a runner with 0.9 points left to lead Atlanta to victory and told the crowd to “be quiet” – all while being the recipient of “F— Trae Young” chants was.

“When I touched the floater, it felt like everyone went quiet,” Young said. “I was waiting for her to f— her chant again. I was excited.”

New York fans picked up the chant in the opening minutes of Game 1 and it continued throughout the series. Things got ugly in Game 2 when a fan was banned from Madison Square Garden for spitting on the Hawks star.

Young enjoyed the role of the villain and laughed while listening to these chants. He also had the last laugh.

In Game 5, he hit a 32-foot 3-pointer with 43 seconds left to put the game on ice. He then took a bow at Center Court and waved goodbye to the crowd at Madison Square Garden.

“I know where we are. I know there are a lot of shows in this city,” Young said of the arc. “And I know what they’ll do when the show’s over.”

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Christmas Day mockery

New York fans were not in the festive spirit on Christmas Day 2021.

The Knicks faced the Hawks in their first home game since the playoffs. It was a one-sided affair as New York beat Atlanta after a triple-double from point guard Kemba Walker.

A familiar anti-Young chant rang out during the game. There was just one problem: Young didn’t play due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. After the game, he shot back at X.

Are they just saying it at the end?!?
🤔🤔🤔smart 😂

*at least everything I’ve heard🤫

– Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) December 25, 2021

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“Lots of lights, lots of chatter”

Young couldn’t respond to New York fans until March 2022 and was prepared. The three-time NBA All-Star dropped 45 points with seven assists. The Garden crowd continued to boo him, but in the end it didn’t matter.

Atlanta won 117-111 and Young didn’t miss an opportunity to make fun of the fans. He said the boos weren’t as loud as he expected.

“No, I couldn’t really hear them. To be honest, it wasn’t even that loud,” Young said.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on what’s at his best on the Garden Stage, calling it a fun atmosphere full of lights and “talk.”

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Special kicks backfire in the Garden

Young’s confidence was huge ahead of a December 2022 match in the Big Apple. High enough that he arrived with special kicks.

In Knicks colors, Young’s sneakers have “King of Broadway” written on the heel. However, he had a hard time with the shoes. Young had just 19 points on 9 of 20 shooting from the field as New York dominated in a 113-89 win.

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Young reflects on the viral chants

Throughout the rivalry with the Knicks, Young was inundated with chants. During an appearance on Paul George’s podcast in August, he called these chants “super fun.”

Young then told the story of a young girl at the Garden who gave him the finger right behind the scorer’s table.

“I just look at all these people’s reactions and it just throws me off,” he said. “Ten minutes into the first quarter, I’m not doing anything.”

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“Very quickly to the exit”

New York defeated Atlanta during the 2023-24 regular season, with Young only appearing in two games – both at home. But it only took one game to reignite the fire, and the Hawks’ star reignited it last month.

He had 23 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds in a 121-116 win against the Knicks. According to ESPN Research, it was his seventh career game with 20 points and 10 assists against the Knicks (regular season and playoffs), the most against New York since Young entered the NBA in 2018-19.

To make matters worse, Young made fun of the New York fans in attendance in Atlanta.

“I hope that these New York fans find their way to the exit very, very quickly,” he said. “Boo, get all you asses home.”

Trae said go home 😂 pic.twitter.com/l1OoKhwvVF

– Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 7, 2024

The Knicks have a chance to get revenge on Wednesday by eliminating the Hawks from the NBA Cup with a win.