Wizards' Trae Young ironically played the first and last games of his Hawks career against the Knicks

Conor Liguori

Wizards' Trae Young ironically played the first and last games of his Hawks career against the Knicks  image

PDC

Trae Young's tenure with the Atlanta Hawks is over. 

The four-time All-Star is now a Washington Wizard, after a trade sending CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta on Wednesday. 

During Young's eight seasons with the Hawks, there was no shortage of ongoing tension with the New York Knicks. He became the main villain any time he set foot on Madison Square Garden's hardwood. 

Fans shouted expletives from the seats in the upper and lower decks, something announcers casually brushed past without having to address. Young's Hawks career began and ended against the Knicks. 

And he was on the losing side both times. 

Young's rivalry with the Knicks was one-sided 

In 2024, Young told Knicks fans to take their butts home into a microphone following a win in Atlanta. The next month, he shook dice at center court, standing right above the Knicks logo. 

New York fans will probably never forget those moments, but they most likely prefer to keep remembering these stats related to Young: in 25 career regular-season games against the Knicks since 2018, Young and the Hawks went 7-18.

Additionally, Young played his first and last games as a member of the Hawks against the Knicks, losing both times. 

In his NBA debut on Oct. 17, 2018, Young finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and four turnovers in a 126-107 loss to the Knicks.

Young went 2-for-9 from the field and 0-for-4 from three in his last game against the Knicks on Dec. 27, 2025, finishing with nine points and 10 assists. He also committed six turnovers in 31 minutes in the contest.

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Editorial Team