Trae Young Bids Knicks Fans Farewell

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young chased New York Knicks fans from his nest on Wednesday, reigniting his lasting rivalry with Manhattan’s finest.

Young dealt further metropolitan heartbreak when the Knicks visited his State Farm Arena domain on Wednesday night, notching a 23-point, 10-assist double-double in the hosts’ 121-116 victory. That sent plenty of Knicks fans home disappointed, as Manhattan supporters continue to invade opposing territory in the midst of a season that has gotten off to a disappointing start.

WIth plenty of blue packed amidst the red seating areas, Young was more than happy to direct Knicks fans to the exits in a postgame interview played on the arena videoboards.

“I hope these New York fans find their way to the exit real real quick,” Young said (h/t Hoop Central) “Take y’all [butts] home!”

Though Young’s teams own a losing record against the Knicks since he entered the league in 2018 (Wednesday’s win was his seventh in 21 regular season tries), he has gained a reputation as New York public enemy. That perception mostly stems from his performance during the teams’ five-game get-together during the 2021 postseason’s opening round, one that saw Young average 29.2 points and 9.8 assists.

For spoiling their team’s first postseason appearance since 2013, Knicks fans routinely chanted “F*** Trae Young” throughout the series and it has become a bit of a tongue-in-cheek staple since New York has made the playoffs in consecutive seasons while the Hawks have failed to capitalize or expand on the conference finals appearance that the win over the Knicks begot.

Alanta’s other Wednesday hero, rookie Zaccharie Risacher took note of the expanded New York presence, which he overcame to score a career-best 33 points after entering the contest averaging less than 10 over his first eight appearances.

“I was kind of surprised there was all the Knicks fans in our arena. That was kind of weird for me coming from Europe,” the top pick of June’s draft said (h/t New York Basketball on X). “[But] we could feel the energy…It makes me super excited to play…in this kind of crowd.”

The Knicks won’t have to deal with Young again until January. In the meantime, they’ll briefly stop at home to face the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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