Traw Young starred in perhaps the most balanced trade in NBA history before even setting a foot on an NBA hardwood. The Atlanta Hawks got a superstar in the making and a franchise building block, and the Dallas Mavericks got a generational talent in Luka Doncic.
But as much as his career will always be tied to Doncic’s, and regardless of all the comparisons with Stephen Curry, Young has shown enough personality to prove that he’s building a path of his own. There’s no need to compare him to anybody else, as Trae Young is a blossoming star who might as well have a Hall of Famer carer and put the Atlanta Hawks back in the map.
In no time, Young has become a fan favorite — unless you live in New York City — and has turned a struggling franchise into must-watch television. That’s why today, we’re going to honor him by letting you know everything about his journey to the NBA and what the future holds for him.
Trae Young – Early Life And High School
Rayford Trae Young was born in Lubbock, Texas, to Candice and Rayford Young. He comes from an athletic pedigree, as his father was a basketball standout at Texas Tech and was even an American professional basketball player in Europe. Moreover, his uncle also played college hoops in the NAIA.
Young, however, didn’t get to spend a lot of time with his father growing up. His mom and his grandparents raised him in the nearby town of Pampa while his dad was hooping overseas. Notably, Young also has a younger brother (Tim), and two younger sisters (Caitlyn and Camryn).
Trae grew up idolizing his father and wanting to be a professional basketball player just like him. He turned a lot of heads as a high school standout at Norman North High School in Norman, Oklahoma. Young scored over 25 points per game in his second season and led the team to the 2015 area championship, earning Oklahoma’s Sophomore of the Year honors.
He continued to work on his game and craft and became one of the most explosive scorers in the nation, leading them once again to a regional championship. By his senior year, he was already considered an elite recruit after averaging nearly 43 points per game on 49% shooting, ranking among his class’s three-best point guard prospects.
Trae Young – College Basketball
Young decided to stay home and committed to playing for the Oklahoma Sooners. He made an immediate impact with his playmaking skills, escalating the rankings as the best point guard in his class. Also, his unlimited range as a shooter put him in the spotlight, with multiple fans and analysts comparing him to Stephen Curry. His game sure resembled his, and they both dominated college hoops nearly at will since day one.
Young had a 43-point explosion and later tied a then-record with 22 assists in a game against Northwestern State, climbing the rankings and being considered a future top-three pick, even ahead of Luka Doncic. Stars from the league praised him after a historical season with Oklahoma, and celebrities often attended his games to watch the Trae Young show.
But, as per usual, it wasn’t all positive. His detractors weren’t sold on his lack of defensive commitment and skills, and his tendency to turn the ball over also raised some questions about his future in the league, especially after a 12-turnover outing. Then again, Young put the doubters at ease after a 48-point game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It was clear that he was the best scorer in the nation and that he was poised to become a professional, even despite his flaws.
Ice Trae led the NCAA in total points (848), points per game (27.4), assists (271), assists per game (8.7), and assist percentage (48.6%). He also set a Big 12 record for most points scored by a freshman, topping NBA colleagues Michael Beasley and Kevin Durant. He gathered multiple accolades in his lone season with the Sooners, forgoing the remaining three years of college eligibility to declare for the NBA Draft. It was an easy choice for a gifted scorer poised fo greatness.
Trae Young – Entering The NBA
Despite mixed reviews and some early doubts, Trae Young fulfilled his destiny of becoming a top-5 pick. The Dallas Mavericks drafted him with the fifth overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, but they immediately traded his draft rights for Luka Doncic, who was the third overall pick, and a 2019 first-round pick.
It didn’t take long before Young proved he was destined to be a professional basketball player, scoring 35 points with 11 dimes in just his third game in the NBA. He later handed out 17 assists against the Los Angeles Clippers, proving he was one of the best playmakers in the league already. He had the handles of a pro and was completely unfazed and unbothered by the shiny lights. Young had trained his entire life for that moment and was ready to silence every single one of his crticis.
Moreover, Young took the league by storm with an eight three-pointer performance against the Houston Rockets, just to break his own career high with a 49-point, 16-assist masterpiece vs. the Chicago Bulls. Unsurprisingly, he was a unanimous selection to the 20219 NBA All-Rookie First Team, although he missed on Rookie of the Year honors at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks star.
Unfortunately, Young’s efforts went unrewarded. The Hawks had a glaring need for talent around him and finished the season with a 29-53 record and the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference. Still, he averaged 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.9 three-pointers per game on 41.8% from the floor. If it weren’t for Doncic’s historical debut season, he would’ve been a lock to win Rookie of the Year honors, even ahead of first-overall pick Deandre Ayton. Still, those numbers shouldn’t be overlooked.
Trae Young – First All-Star Nod
Young was ready to take a step forward in his sophomore season and put up a lot of hard work in the offseason, training with NBA competition and working on taking better care of the ball and becoming a more efficient shooter. Young scored 38 points in his season debut, now surrounded by more young talent. He put up 49 points with a 21-point fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers, putting together a string of impressive scoring outbursts that would grant him the first All-Star selection of his career. More impressively, he was even voted as a starter.
The season, however, was marked by Kobe Bryant’s tragic and shocking passing. Young vowed his support for the late Lakers legend by temporarily switching his jersey number to 8 in the first 8 seconds of his first game after Kobe’s death and was clearly emotional throughout the matchup. He delivered a majestic 45 performance with 45 points and 14 assists. Then, just four days later, he topped his career high with 18 dimes, but his best game of the season came in late February when he scored a career-best 51 points in a win against the Miami Heat.
But despite a slight improvement in the roster, the young Atlanta Hawks could only do so much and were far from a competitive squad. They won just 20 games in the shortened season and weren’t even invited to the NBA bubble in Orlando, as they had already been mathematically knocked out of playoff contention. Young averaged a whopping 29.6 points to go along with 4.3 boards and 9.3 dimes per game, also knocking down 3.4 three-pointers per contest. Needless to say, not many second-year players could average nearly 30 points per game against the best defenders in the world.
Trae Young – NBA Playoff Debut
The Hawks’ front office went to great lengths to surround Young with more talent ahead of his third NBA season. They put together a competitive squad, although they failed to reach their potential under coach Lloyd Pierce, who was replaced by Nate McMillan mid-season. The Hawks boasted an explosive offense and an up-and-coming squad, and Ice Trae was ready to lead them to the top once and for all.
Not needing to do all the heavy lifting in the offense anymore, Trae put up 25.3 points per game throughout the season. He also grabbed 3.9 rebounds and handed out a career-best 9.4 helpers per game, averaging 2.1 triples on 43/34/88 shooting splits. Shockingly, though, he wasn’t selected to the All-Star Game despite those impressive averages.
However, that was far from the high point of the season for Trae and the Atlanta Hawks. They finished the campaign with a 41-31 record, good for the 5th spot in the Eastern Conference and his first postseason berth. Young put on a show in the Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks in his NBA playoff debut, scoring 32 with 10 dimes and the game-winning floater as the clock expired. Also, he joined Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Derrick Rose as the only players to score 30+ points and hand out 10+ assists in his first playoff game
The Hawks dominated and upset the Knicks in the first round and got past the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, including a 26-point comeback to get back in the series. The Hawks won in seven games and faced the eventual NBA Champions Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. He scored a career-high 48 points in Game 1, but was forced to miss Games 4 and 5 with a foot injury. The Bucks beat them in six games and ended their season in a heartbreaking fashion.
Trae Young – First All-NBA Season
Young made the most of the offseason to continue working on his craft. But more than that, he also made sure to get paid. He signed a five-year max contract extension worth $172 million that could go all the way to $207 million depending on accolades and performance-based incentives.
He got off to a solid start to the season as per usual, but he peaked in January with a career-high 56 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. Also, he set a franchise record with 17 straight games scoring at least 25 points, topping Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins. Needless to say, those were more than enough merits to be voted as an All-Star starter again.
Later in the season, Young continued to enter the record books by recording his 10th career game with a least 40 points and ten dimes, passing Michael Jordan for the ninth-most in league history. He then became the first NBA player in two seasons to drop 40+ points in back-to-back games. If that wasn’t enough, he joined Tiny Archibald as the only two players to lead the NBA in total points and assists in a full season. He put the league on notice and even veteran stars had no choice but to tip their hats off to his scoring prowess.
The Hawks had an underwhelming season after their trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. They finished the campaign with a 43-39 record and had to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-in tournament to clinch the eight-seed in the East. Sadly, their disappointing season would come to an early end, as they lost to the Miami Heat in just five games, with Young going ice cold from the field throughout the series.
Trae Young – Awards And Accolades
Even though he’s been around the league for just a short while, Trae Young has already put together a more than decent résumé. Thus far, it looks like this:
- 2x NBA All-Star Selections
- 1x All-NBA Third Team
- 1x NBA All-Rookie First Team
From the days he played college basketball:
- Consensus First-Team All-American
- First-Team All-Big 12
- NCAA Season Leader In Assists
- NCAA Season Leader In Points
- Big 12 Freshman Of The Year
- Wayman Tisdale Award
- Only player to lead the NCAA in points and assists in the same season
From High School basketball:
- McDonald’s All-American
Trae Young – NBA Future
Young has already established himself as the Atlanta Hawks’ franchise cornerstone. They’ve gone to great lengths to surround him with enough talent to compete, and his lone playoff trip ended just two games away from making the NBA Finals.
While he’s unlikely to ever become a good defender, Young’s playmaking and scoring make him one of the most entertaining players in the league. He’s unfazed and unbothered by the pressure and has embraced a ‘villain’ persona that will make him fun to watch for many years to come.
He’s drawn some criticism for his ‘foul-baiting’ and how often he goes to the free-throw line, but if it were that easy, everybody else would do it. He’s one of the most dynamic scorers in the league, and chances are he’s just going to get better as the years go by.
It’s still early in his career, but he’s got what it takes to be considered one of the greatest scorers and passers to ever do it, as well as the best player in Hawks history. Hopefully, he’ll avoid any major injuries and will have a long and successful NBA career. Who knows? maybe, he’ll even lead the Hawks to their first championship since 1958, and the second in franchise history.
What is Trae Young’s real name?
Contrary to popular belief, Trae is actually called Rayford Trae Young. He was named in honor of his father, Rayford Young, who’s often spotted with him baseline during Atlanta Hawks games.
What Is Trae Young’s Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Trae Young was worth around $6 million by 2021. He had earned around $3 million in endorsements with Adidas, NBA 2K, Chipotle, Bodyarmor, Old Spice, Trouth The Lens, eBay, and Fortnite.
However, that number is definitely trending up. Young has netted $26,135,649 in NBA salary alone. He just made $8,326,471 in his fourth season in the league and will get a massive bump in yearly wage for years to come.
Young signed a fully-guaranteed, 5-year contract worth $215,159,700, which accounts for an average of $43,031,940 per year. He’ll make $37,096,500 in 2022/23, $40,064,220 in 2023/24; $43,031,940 in 2024/25; $45,999,660 in 2025/26; and $48,967,380 in 2026/27 before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. He’ll be 29 years old once his max contract extension runs out, although he has an early termination option in 2025 and a 15% trade kicker.
Did Trae Young’s father play in the NBA?
Trae Young is the son of Rayford Young, who played college basketball at Texas Tech University. While his father never played in the NBA, he did have a successful career in Europe and Asia. In fact, it was while watching his father play overseas that Trae developed a love for the game of basketball. Thanks to his father’s influence, Trae has become one of the most promising young players in the NBA today.
