“I’m a big fan of Denzel Washington but then finds out he’s a New Yorker”: Trae Young addresses living rent-free in heads of Knicks fans

Hawks guard Trae Young reflects on his friction with the Knicks fans, adding how he feeds off all the hostility from them.

It is more than evident now that hoop fans in New York are obsessed with Trae Young. The chants, trolling, and mocking occur at events with no relation to the Hawks guard. Ice Trae is the biggest villain in MSG, something the 23-year-old enjoys to the fullest.

The inception of this hostility came into play during the first round of the 2021 playoffs, where the Hawks faced the Knicks. Anyone well-versed with the Knicks is aware of their frustration, having seen their team tank for several years and management that everyone despises.

However, the 2020-21 season was surprisingly a new chapter in the Knicks’ book, with the team making the playoffs for the first time in seven years.  The Knicks were proud recipients of the MIP and COY awards, with Julius Randle and Tom Thibodeau receiving these accolades.

Also read: “LeBron James needs to play for Hawks with Trae Young”: DC Young Fly rejects Shannon Sharpe’s proposition of a Brodie-Ice Trae trade

Unfortunately, this one-of-a-kind campaign for the Knicks lasted till the first round of the playoffs, with Ice Trae and co-playing party spoilers.

Trae Young addresses his friction with Knicks fans.

Despite employing all the tricks in the book to hate on him, the Knicks bring out the best in Ice Trae. The 2021 playoffs are evidence of this that not only marked the Knicks making a comeback after seven years but was also Ice Trae’s debut in the postseason.

With the Knicks having home court, the atmosphere at the Garden was deafening, with the fans resorting to all sorts of techniques to express their hate towards the visiting team, even crossing the line. Nonetheless, Young and co would have the last laugh in five games.

During a recent appearance on JJ Redick’s podcast, when asked about living rent-free in the heads of Knicks fans, Ice Trae had the following response.

“I saw a clip the other day, somebody showed me, Denzel (Washington) say something to the Heat players about somebody give that boy a haircut, talking about me. Comes to find out he’s a New Yorker, Denzel. So it’s like, I mean, I’m a big fan of him, but then finds out he’s a New Yorker.”

“That was a fun series just because I know the stage. Like I just knew the stage and it being their first time back to the playoffs in, I don’t know how long. It was loud like it was crazy. Like, I’ve never been, I’ll give them a lot of credit. It was the craziest environment I’ve played in.”

From what it looks, the Knicks need to adopt a different strategy to get the better of Young as all the hate thrown at him seems to fuel his performances further.

Also read: “Ice Trae is laughably overrated, he melted every game this series”: Skip Bayless rips into Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young