All Hawks

Trae Young Talks Kyrie Irving, Spike Lee, & NBA Draft

The All-NBA point guard is always candid.

Pat Benson

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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Just a few weeks ago, Trae Young tweeted that he stopped doing podcasts for a while but would make an exception for JJ Redick. Young didn't disappoint with the comments he provided on Redick's podcast. Now, he has appeared on the podcast of former Chicago Bulls player Stacey King. Below are five key takeaways.

Kyrie Irving

Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

When asked who was his toughest opponent, Young said, "To be honest, anytime I go up against Kyrie [Irving], it's a battle. He always has a counter-move for everything. I think anybody who guards him could tell you the same thing. He just knows how to score at all levels."

Young continued, "It's crazy because he uses the midrange that nobody really uses the midrange pull-up, besides DeMar [DeRozan] does it great. But it's only a few guys who really do that, and he's a point guard. He's so small, he can get to whatever spot he wants. He is definitely one of the fun matchups and toughest guys to guard."

Spike Lee

American actor and director Spike Lee looks up during warmups before a game between the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

While on the topic of New York Knicks fans, Young was asked about Spike Lee. Young said, "To be honest, Spike is like the perfect type of fan you want. You're talking about fans going to far, Spike is the total opposite. He's just going to cheer, talk trash but he's going to talk trash the right way. He's not going to go too far or say nothing crazy to the players or nothing like that."

Young continued, "He's the perfect type of fan you want cheering your team on and I give a lot of respect to Spike because he shows love whenever the game is over with. Just like the other teams usually do, and it's respect all around. So he's definitely the perfect type of fan you want."

NBA Draft

Trae Young (Oklahoma) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number five overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

When asked if he ever looked back and wondered where he could have been, Young said, "Yeah, to be honest, the day of the draft, I didn't think I was going to Atlanta. I thought I was going to either Orlando at six, or if I fell to seven, go to y'all (Chicago)."

Young continued, "I didn't think about any trades going on. I didn't know Dallas was thinking about trading me to Atlanta until literally two picks before I got drafted. So all day, I'm thinking, I mean, all these ESPN rankings had me 12 or whatever. I knew I was going either six to Orlando or seven to y'all. I had a good feeling. But that trade happened."

Three Point Shooting

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young talk after the game.
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

When asked if the quality of game is hurt by so much outside shooting, Young said, "Yeah, I mean sometimes I definitely feel like it can get out of hand. I don't want say teams or whatever - I feel like there are certain teams that every guy feels like he can shoot threes. Obviously, threes are what runs the game and Steph [Curry] kind of took over the game and a lot people are trying to get guys who can shoot at all levels. And definitely shoot threes."

Young continued, "But guys who can slash, guys who can get into the paint and score, all these teams here, even the Warriors got guys who can get to the basket. They all have guys who can shoot the most threes, and they don't shoot the most threes. I think they know you have to get to the basket. The best teams know you got to be able to get both."

Quavo

Rapper Quavo celebrates with cheerleaders while holding the jersey of Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (not pictured) after a victory against the Miami Heat at State Farm Arena.
© Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

When asked about the origin of his nickname (Ice Trae), Young credited Migos' rapper Quavo. "Whenever I got drafted, he (Quavo) kind of put it out there and everybody started calling me it and he started calling me it. So that's how it is."

Young reflected on the days when he attended Atlanta rappers' concerts before they even knew who he was. "We've had stories, I've talked to them about those times before they knew me and I was out their concerts. It's like a brotherly friendship now. And it's kind of cool. I always appreciate them for helping me, and welcoming me to the city of Atlanta."

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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