Trae Young's Five Best Moments As an Atlanta Hawk

In this series, there were many memorable moments from "Ice Trae" as he dominated the Knicks from start to finish in his first playoff series. The most standout moments, specifically, were in Game 1, where Young had his first playoff game winner, which ended with him quieting the MSG crowd and telling them " IT'S QUIET AS F* IN HERE" after the Knicks fans started chanting "F* Trae Young" during the warm-ups. In the close-out game, however, Young would go on to seal the deal, scoring 36 points and bowing on the Knicks logo, as fans booed him. This has gone on to fuel an ongoing career rivalry for Young and the Knicks, as every game since has been chippy and was considered the national coming-out party for Young as one of the NBA's rising stars for the next decade.

2. 48 Point Game Vs. Milwaukee 2021 Eastern Conference Finals Game 1

This game was and is not only a moment to remember for Young, but a moment to remember for Atlanta as a whole, as this was the Hawks' second time in the Eastern Conference Finals. For Young, however, this would be his solidifying moment in proving his doubters wrong that postseason, as many didn't believe he would get this far and picked the Bucks to win this series with ease. In Game 1, Young would go on to nearly get a triple-double, scoring 48 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and dishing out 11 assists in a nail-biter game that featured him shimmying before making a three-pointer, which made Giannis Antetokounmpo get angry with the Bucks during a timeout. Young and the Hawks would go on to win this game and would extend the series to six games after an injury to Young's foot happened in Game 3, which left many wondering the outcome of the series if he remained healthy.

3. Game 5 Vs. Boston In The 2023 Playoffs And His Game Winner

This was a moment where Young's back was against the wall, as he was without All-Star teammate Dejounte Murray, due to his suspension after a challenging Game 4 loss to the Celtics, where he was seen bumping a referee, which is an automatic one-game suspension. In Game 5, Young and the Hawks found themselves in a back-and-forth close-out game where they were facing elimination with a loss. With five minutes left in Game 5, Young and the Hawks found themselves down by 13 points with six minutes left in the fourth and finished the game on a 23-8 run, which ended with Young making a deep three-pointer from the logo for the game winner.

4. Historic 31 Point, 20 Assist Game Vs. Lakers December 2024

Young exploded for a big double-double in a game where the Hawks weren't the favorites, not only to win, but not even the fan favorites, as there were plenty of Lakers fans in attendance. Part of this was due to Lebron James being in town, but the Young and the Hawks showed a will to win, as they were down for much of this game, but powered back due to a second-half flurry. Young would go on to close the deal on this game after making a game-winning three-pointer to close the deal in an overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, 134-132. This was a historic game for Young as he was the 11th player in NBA history to have a 30-point, 20-assist game, and the first Hawks player to ever accomplish this feat.

5. Half Court Game Winner Vs. Utah

For much of this game, Young found himself dominating as he finished the game with 24 points and 20 assists as the Hawks led by as many as 16 points in the first half. By the fourth quarter, the Utah Jazz had come back to tie the game, and it was looking like it was headed to overtime, until Young pulled off more magic to end the game. With time running out, Young launched a half-court heave over Collin Sexton that went in and left the Utah fans in disbelief, as many of them believed that the shot wasn't going to go in.

Now that we have taken a look back at some of Young's best moments as a Hawk for his birthday, it's time that we start wondering what this season will look like with him on arguably his most talented roster since being drafted to Atlanta. Where do you think the Hawks will finish this season and how do you think Young will perform entering his prime years with his best roster yet?

More Atlanta Hawks News: