Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young has been able to develop into one of the NBA's best scorers and playmakers and many basketball fans saw the vision back when he suited up for The University of Oklahoma in the 2017-2018 season. Young was famously traded from the Dallas Mavericks on draft night in exchange for Luka Doncic and before that, he put on quite the show in his lone collegiate season.
Young was able to lead the NCAA in both points and assists with 27 and eight in freshman season at Oklahoma and being able to accomplish this feat at just over 6'0, he had the respect of many NBA scouts.
However, the two-time NBA All-Star revealed recently that he was actually eyeing the University of California, Los Angeles as a potential destination before committing to Oklahoma. Young was conversing with former UCLA star Lonzo Ball on his 'From The Point' podcast and shared what stopped him from becoming a Bruin.
"I ain't gonna lie, Jaylen Hands committed the day that UCLA was gonna fly to come see me," said Young. "A lot of people knew from talking just from camps and certain things when you're around these guys. I loved UCLA, it was in the back of my mind. I love the weather out here, everything about it. They was gonna come down but Jaylen Hands committed... I can only imagine playing at UCLA."
(Via From The Point)
Seeing Young in the gold and blue definitely would've been something. When you think about all the great point guards that have come through Westwood such as Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday and Baron Davis just to name a few, he very could have been next in line.
However, there are only so many scholarships and roles to be filled on college squads and Young realized that the Bruins opted to roll with the high-flying Hands. Nonetheless, Young's path led him to where he is today and he remains one of the league's top point guards!
More must-reads: