Trae Young-Knicks beef, explained: How the Hawks star became a Reggie Miller-like villain in New York
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Trae Young-Knicks beef, explained: How the Hawks star became a Reggie Miller-like villain in New York

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Since his rise to stardom at Norman North High School in Oklahoma, Hawks guard Trae Young has thrived in the role of villain. Seven years into his NBA career, Young has taken on the role of villain for one of sports’ biggest fan bases.

In the eyes of Knicks fans, Young has been Public Enemy No. 1 for much of the last five years. Young doesn’t even need to be involved to be remembered by New York fans, as his name was called during the playoff series with the 76ers in the last year and even during Yankees games has been the subject of NSFW chants from Knicks fans.

Given the energy Young receives from the New York fan base, it’s fair to ask what he did to make this possible for everyone crazy. There is a deep history between the two parties that will be revived when Young and the Hawks travel to Madison Square Garden to face the Knicks in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.

Thus, in the eyes of the New York faithful, Young became a modern-day Reggie Miller.

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Trae Young Knicks beef, explained

The conflict between Young and the Knicks fan base dates back to at least the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

After the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the 2020-21 NBA season and limited capacity in certain arenas, No. 4 New York faced No. 5 Atlanta in the playoffs. It was the Knicks’ first playoff series in eight years and marked a new benchmark for the capacity allowed at Madison Square Garden.

When the series began, Young was greeted with “F—Trae Young!” Chants from a large group of fans in attendance.

Young wasted no time playing spoiler, firing a game-winning floater to give the Hawks home-field advantage in Game 1. In true villain form, Young silenced the MSG crowd, clearly saying, “It’s fucking quiet in here,” as the camera panned to the stares of the dejected fans.

“Everyone’s singing FU,” Young said during his postgame interview. “At the end it got really quiet and I wanted to hear those FU chants again.”

As he headed to the locker room, Young again noted that the arena had become “really quiet.”

In Game 2, Atlanta’s star guard was greeted with more NSFW shoutouts. He seemed to enjoy them and later gave a nod to his villainy history by bowing to fans after firing a dagger to knock out New York in Game 5.

From that point on, Young was the subject of Knicks fans’ ire. As a proud member of Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba” family, Young continues to take on the role of villain. After leading the Hawks to a home win over the Knicks in the first month of the 2024-25 season, Young had a special message for the New York fans in attendance.

“I hope the New York fans find their way to the exit very quickly,” Young said during his walk-off interview at the arena. Young scoffed at the boos he received from those select fans before telling them, “Take you all home.”

A little over a month later, Young will be back at Madison Square Garden for an NBA Cup elimination game. It’s not quite the NBA playoffs – but when a trip to Las Vegas is on the line, it might feel like it.

As the chants ring out and Young taps into another level of villainy, remember that the origins of the rivalry date back to 2021.

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