Trae Young is one of the biggest stars in American sports.
The point guard is loved and hated by many because, despite being the shortest player on the court at times, he still makes improbable plays happen. He learned to play the game of basketball a different way, so he began shooting out further from the three-point line to see the basket before defenders’ stretched arms blocked the view. He uses his vision to find the teammate with the best shot. When defenders get frustrated with how accurate his floater is over post players’ stretched arms, he begins to use their attempts at physicality against them and earns easy points at the free-throw line.
His game and “ice cold” celebration have made him one of the most talked-about athletes in the league, and on Nov. 20, he surprised a group of local kids in Atlanta to announce the Hawks’ partnership with the YMCA.
“My dad was out there playing in a co-ed league, and I would be on the side,” Young said of the YMCA in his hometown of Norman, Oklahoma. “Even all throughout grade school and into high school, I was up there. Before practice, after practice, there was a place for me. It’s inspired me to build my facility because I wanted to have my own YMCA. Just a place for kids to go be a kid, have what they dream about, and try to make it happen in real life.
“It’s a place that started my basketball journey.”
The kids were hysterical when Young walked into the gym at The Villages at Carver Family YMCA, seeing the star up close.
“I don’t think any of these kids left their house today and said, ‘I’m going to go hang with Trae,'” Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said. “I think that was a great surprise. I think that we’re very fortunate to have one of the most popular players. We were in Mexico City last week, and when the players were introduced, it was a really nice, warm ovation. Then they introduced Trae, and I thought the top was coming off the building. That’s what a superstar is, and we’re very fortunate to have one in this city.”
