Move over Reggie Miller, there is a new villain of Madison Square Garden.
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young drew the ire from 15,000 raucous fans — the largest to attend a Knicks game since COVID — for 48 minutes Sunday night as he was relentlessly booed, mocked and even cursed at with a “F—k Trae Young” chant.
But it was Young who got the last laugh on the Garden crowd, and he let them know it, too.
The 22-year-old sank the game-winning floater with 0.9 seconds remaining to lead the Hawks to a 107-105 Game 1 victory, finishing with a game-high 32 himself.
As Young ran back toward the Hawks bench after hitting the shot, he put his finger over his nose, shushing the crowd while yelling, “It’s quiet as f—k in here.”
“I remembered at the beginning of the game when they were yelling it throughout the game,” he said of the Knicks fans’ expletive-laden chants, per Chris Kirschner. “As I hit the floater, it just felt like everyone got quiet. I was waiting for them F-you chants again.”
If anything, the chants seemed to further fuel Young, who continued to troll fans on social media after the game.
“I’ve always looked at it as I’m doing something right if I’m affecting them with my play that much that they hate me that much,” he told reporters. “I’m obviously doing something right. I just have to let my play do the talking. At the end of the day, fans can only talk. They can’t guard me. They’re not out there playing. For me, it’s just a part of the game. I’m glad fans are back. I’m glad MSG was rocking tonight.”
Young had already entered the game as one of the most disliked players in the league, mostly due to his tendency to draw — some may say embellish or flop — foul calls.
But by the time he left the Garden on Sunday night, after his first career playoff game, he was already being mentioned alongside Reggie Miller as the type of villain who relished torturing the Knicks and their fans — a label Young does not mind in the slightest.
“I definitely know the history of players coming in here and being hated,” he said. “Like I said, I take it as a compliment, to be honest with you. I just embrace it and focus on my team to help them win. At the end of the day, we’ll get the last laugh if we do that.”
He certainly did on Sunday.
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