Trae Young facts for kids
_(cropped).jpg)
Young at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game
|
||||||||||||||
| No. 11 – Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | September 19, 1998 Lubbock, Texas, U.S. |
|||||||||||||
| High school | Norman North (Norman, Oklahoma) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 164 lb (74 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Oklahoma (2017–2018) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Dallas Mavericks | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2018–present | |||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–present | Atlanta Hawks | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||
Trae Young, born on September 19, 1998, is a professional basketball player. He plays for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his college year with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2017–18, he made history. He tied the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) record for most assists in a single game with 22. He also became the only player ever to lead the NCAA in both points and assists in one season.
People sometimes call him "Ice Trae". He was picked fifth in the 2018 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. But he was then traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Luka Dončić. Both Young and Dončić were chosen for the 2019 NBA All-Rookie First Team. Trae Young has been an NBA All-Star three times. He has helped the Hawks reach the playoffs three times, including the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
Contents
Early Life and High School Basketball
Trae Young was born in Lubbock, Texas. His parents are Candice and Rayford Young. His father, Rayford, played basketball at Texas Tech and then professionally in Europe. Trae has a younger brother and two younger sisters. His uncle also played college basketball. Trae grew up in Pampa, Texas, with his mother and grandparents. This was because his father played basketball overseas.
Young went to Norman North High School in Norman, Oklahoma. In his second year, he scored about 25 points per game. He also had 5 assists and 4 rebounds per game. He helped his team win the 2015 area championship. He was named Oklahoma's Sophomore of the Year.
In his third year, he got even better. He averaged 34.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. He led his team to a great 28–4 record. They won the regional title and finished second in the 2016 Oklahoma Class 6A championship. In his final year, he averaged 42.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He shot the ball very well, making 48.9% of his shots.
Becoming a Top Recruit
Experts like Scout.com, Rivals.com, and ESPN thought Young was one of the best players in the 2017 recruiting class. ESPN ranked him as the second-best point guard. Other websites placed him as the third-best. On February 16, 2017, Young decided to play for the Oklahoma Sooners. He was the first five-star recruit for the University of Oklahoma since 2010.
College Career Highlights
Trae Young started his college career strong in the 2017–18 season. On November 12, he scored 15 points, had 10 assists, and grabbed six rebounds. This was in a win against the Omaha Mavericks. A few days later, he scored 22 points and had 13 assists against the Ball State Cardinals.
On November 26, Young scored a season-high 43 points. He also had seven assists in a 90–80 win over the Oregon Ducks. People started comparing his playing style to NBA star Stephen Curry. On December 19, Young tied an NCAA record with 22 assists in one game. He also scored 26 points in a big win.
Throughout the season, Young became a top player for the 2018 NBA draft. Even NBA stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry praised his performance. On January 13, he scored 43 points, had 11 rebounds, and seven assists. This helped his team win in overtime against the TCU Horned Frogs. On January 20, Young scored a new career-high 48 points. This was in a close overtime loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Young finished his first college season leading the country in many stats. He led in assists (271), total points (848), points per game (27.4), and assists per game (8.7). His 848 points broke the Big 12 record for a freshman. This record was previously held by Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley. He became the only player ever to lead the NCAA in both points and assists in a single season.
On March 7, 2018, Young won the Wayman Tisdale Award. This award is for the best freshman player in the country. He was also named Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He was part of the All-Big 12's First Team. Young was also chosen as a consensus All-American First Team member. He was one of three freshmen on this team, along with Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III.
On March 15, Young scored 28 points, had seven assists, and five rebounds. This was in an overtime loss in the NCAA Tournament. He was only the second freshman to have such numbers in an NCAA Tournament game. After this loss, Young decided to leave college early. He declared for the 2018 NBA draft.
Professional NBA Career
Joining the Atlanta Hawks (2018–Present)
On June 21, 2018, Trae Young was picked fifth in the 2018 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. But he was quickly traded to the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks also got a future draft pick. In return, the Mavericks received the rights to Luka Dončić. Young officially signed with the Hawks on July 1, 2018.
2018–19 Season: Rookie Success
In his third NBA game on October 21, Young scored 35 points and had 11 assists. This helped the Hawks win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On November 19, he had a career-high 17 assists, along with 25 points. On February 25, 2019, Young scored 36 points and made eight three-pointers. Two days later, he had another 36 points and 10 assists.
On March 1, he set a new career-high with 49 points and 16 assists. This was in a long, high-scoring game against the Chicago Bulls. On March 31, Young hit a game-winning shot against the Milwaukee Bucks. He finished with 12 points and 16 assists. He and Luka Dončić were both chosen for the 2019 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
2019–20 Season: First All-Star Game
On October 24, 2019, Young scored 38 points in the first game of the season. This was a win against the Detroit Pistons. On November 29, he scored 49 points, with 21 of them in the fourth quarter. On January 23, 2020, he was picked to start in the NBA All-Star Game.
On January 26, Young scored 45 points and had 14 assists. He wore jersey number 8 for the first eight seconds of the game. This was to honor Kobe Bryant, who had recently passed away. A few days later, he had 39 points and a career-high 18 assists. On February 9, Young scored 48 points and had 13 assists in a double-overtime win.
On February 20, Young scored a career-high 50 points against the Miami Heat. He made 8 of 15 three-pointers in that game.
2020–21 Season: Eastern Conference Finals
On December 23, 2020, Young started the season with 37 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. This was in a win over the Chicago Bulls. On May 23, 2021, he played his first NBA playoff game. He had 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New York Knicks. He hit a game-winning shot with less than a second left.
Young joined LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Derrick Rose as the only players to have 30 points and 10 assists in their playoff debut. In a game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Young scored 39 points and had 7 assists. He led the Hawks to come back from 26 points down to win. In Game 7 of that series, Young scored 21 points. This led the Hawks to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2015.
In Game 1 of the Conference Finals, Young scored a playoff career-high 48 points. He also had 11 assists and seven rebounds. This was in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Young missed two games due to a foot injury. He returned for Game 6, but the Hawks lost, ending their season. On August 3, 2021, Young signed a big five-year contract extension with the Hawks.
2021–22 Season: All-NBA Selection
On November 14, 2021, Young scored 42 points, had 8 rebounds, and 10 assists. This helped Atlanta beat the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. On January 3, 2022, Young scored a career-high 56 points and had 14 assists. This was in a close loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He had 17 games in a row where he scored at least 25 points. This broke a Hawks team record.
On January 27, Young was again chosen to start in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. On February 3, he scored 43 points to end the Phoenix Suns' 11-game winning streak. On February 26, Young scored 41 points and had 11 assists. This was his 10th game with at least 40 points and 10 assists. He passed Michael Jordan for this achievement.
On March 13, Young scored 33 of his 47 points in the first half. The next day, he scored 46 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and had 12 assists. He was the first player in the NBA that season to score 40+ points in back-to-back games. At the end of the regular season, Young became only the second player in NBA history to lead the league in total points and assists in one season. Tiny Archibald was the first.
On April 15, Young scored 38 points and had 9 assists in a play-in tournament win. This secured the Hawks' spot in the 2022 NBA playoffs. In Game 1 of the playoffs against the Miami Heat, Young had a playoff career-low 8 points. The Hawks lost to the Heat in five games.
2022–23 Season: New Teammate
For his fifth NBA season, the Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs. This trade helped the Hawks' defense and shared Young's offensive duties. In his first game on October 19, 2022, Young scored 23 points and had 13 assists. The Hawks won, and Murray had 5 steals.
On November 25, Young scored a season-high 44 points in a loss to the Houston Rockets. On February 26, 2023, Young scored 34 points and hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer. This was in a win over the Brooklyn Nets. On April 7, Young scored 27 points and had a career-high 20 assists.
In Game 3 of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics, Young scored 32 points and had 9 assists. He and Dejounte Murray were the first Hawks teammates to each have at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a playoff game since 1966. In Game 5, Young scored 38 points and had 13 assists. He also hit a game-winning three-pointer. The Hawks lost the series in six games.
2023–24 Season: Third All-Star Selection
On December 23, 2023, Young had 30 points and 13 assists. This was his seventh game in a row with at least 30 points and 10 assists. He tied Oscar Robertson for the longest such streak in NBA history. On November 30, 2023, Young scored a season-high 45 points and had 14 assists. This was in a win against the San Antonio Spurs.
On February 6, 2024, Young was named to his third All-Star team. He replaced an injured player. On February 15, Young made his 1,051st career three-pointer. This made him the Hawks' all-time leader in three-pointers, passing Mookie Blaylock.
2024–25 Season
On October 23, 2024, Young started the season with 30 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds. This was in a win over the Brooklyn Nets. In the next game, he had 38 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, and four steals. He joined Oscar Robertson as the only players to have back-to-back games with at least 30 points and 10 assists to start a season.
On November 27, Young had 20 points and a career-high 22 assists. On December 6, he scored 31 points and had 20 assists. He also hit a game-winning three-pointer. He became the first player in NBA history to have a game with 30+ points, 20+ assists, and 5+ three-pointers. He was also the 11th player ever to have a game with 30 points and 20 assists.
On January 7, 2025, Young hit a half-court game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. This was in a win over the Utah Jazz. He finished with 24 points and 20 assists. This was his third game of the season with at least 20 points and 20 assists. He was the first player to do this since John Stockton in 1989–90. On January 14, Young scored a season-high 43 points.
Playing for Team USA
Young was part of the U.S. men's national U18 team. This team won a gold medal at the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.
Personal Life
Trae Young married his longtime partner, Shelby Miller, in July 2023. They have a son, born in June 2022, and a second child, born in November 2023. Young is a Christian.
Young was featured in a TV show called Rookie on the Rise. This show followed him during his first year in the NBA. In August 2019, Young became an Honorary Board Member at The Children's Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Oklahoma City. In November 2023, a street was named after him in his hometown: Trae Young Drive.
Images for kids
-
Young with the Hawks in January 2020
See also
In Spanish: Trae Young para niños
- List of NBA career free throw percentage leaders
- List of NBA single-season assists per game leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 20 or more assists in a game
