Trae Young’s antics and subsequent ejection in Hawks’ play-in loss has fans fuming – “Acting like a baby”

Trae Young’s frustration during the Hawks’ play-in game in Orlando boiled over when he was ejected after receiving two technical fouls

Trae Young’s antics and subsequent ejection in Hawks’ play-in loss has fans fuming – “Acting like a baby”

Trae Young

The Atlanta Hawks fell 120–95 to the Orlando Magic in Tuesday’s NBA Play-In opener, and while it was a team loss, star guard Trae Young drew heat for his on-court antics that led to an ejection. Young had sparked a rally from a 22-point deficit, cutting it to just three in the third quarter before things unraveled.

However, the Hawks lost the game in the fourth, and Young retaliated by making fun of several referees. He became agitated and lost his position on the court. The Hawks star was ejected after receiving two quick technical fouls for throwing the ball at one ref and kicking it away from another. This surely angered many NBA fans that made their opinions forward via their socials.

The gifted guard “owned” the notion that he needed to improve his emotional regulation, Hawks coach Quin Snyder told journalists after the game. Young also talked to his teammates in the locker room. In addition, Young took the blame for his actions in the dressing room. Per reports, Young claimed that he will ‘be ready’ in the next matchup against the Magic.

The Magic’s physical style of play, which Young claimed wasn’t “necessarily basketball” at a certain point, annoyed him. According to the Hawks guard, he vented his annoyance on the officials. The Magic’s gameplay surely got Young frustrated, resulting in his abrupt ejection. However, the star is one of the most important players for the Hawks.

It was evident that without him on the court, the Hawks would struggle. In 76 games this season, Trae Young averaged 24.2 points, 11.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds. Hence, Young needs to see out the whole game for the Hawks.

In a game that will decide the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks will play the team that prevails in Wednesday’s matchup between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls on Friday. It will be interesting to watch how this unfolds for the Hawks in the coming days.

Fans troll Trae Young for on-court antics leading to ejection

The Hawks were on the verge of completing a sensational comeback win against the Magic on Tuesday in the play-in tournament. However, their star man, Trae Young, had other plans. He decided to mock the officials during the game, which led to his ejection. This surely did not go down well with the NBA community, especially the Hawks fans.

Many fans took to various social media apps to put forward their views and thoughts regarding Young’s childish antics on the court. While some trolled Young for his actions, some fans also praised him. One fan wrote on X, “Acting like a baby.” Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Now, with Magic securing the win against the Hawks, they also secured a 7th-place finish in the Eastern Conference. With this, they will face the No.2 seed, the Boston Celtics in the NBA Playoffs. As for the Hawks, they will need a guaranteed win against one of the Bulls/Heat to finish as the 8th seed in the league.

NBA crew chief James Williams made his views clear on the Trae Young ejection

With 4:47 remaining in the Tuesday night game, Young’s annoyance with the Hawks’ play-in game at Orlando finally reached a boiling point. He got two technical fouls: one for drilling a chest pass at referee and crew chief James Williams, and another for deflecting the ball with his foot and refusing to hand it over to referee Pat Fraher right away.

Williams made his thoughts known regarding Young’s actions, claiming it as a ‘mockery of the game.’

He received his second unsportsmanlike technical foul for kicking the ball away and making a mockery of the game as we were attempting to shoot the free throw for the first technical foul and by rule when the player receives two unsportsmanlike fouls he’s ejected from the game.

James Williams said

Despite the Hawks losing, they are not out of this season yet, as they still have a chance to qualify for the Playoffs. If Young is not suspended as a result of Tuesday’s incident, he still has at least one more game with stakes left in the season.