The Atlanta Hawks’ talisman Trae Young recently faced repercussions for his on-court antics. Following a 126-136 home defeat to the Chicago Bulls, the point guard lost $35000 for seemingly ‘taunting’ a match referee. After the incident, the 25-year-old spoke out about the consequences and offered his perspective on the implications.
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With about four minutes left to play, the 6ft 1′ guard attempted a deep three-pointer while being guarded by Torrey Craig. The 3x All-Star missed the contested shot right before receiving a technical foul call against him for flopping. It infuriated the 2018 draft pick as he shook his head while making the ‘money gesture’ with his fingers.
The Texas-born’s signals indicated how the referee was intentionally treating his team unfairly after being potentially bribed. Hence, the NBA deemed his antics as an ‘inappropriate and unprofessional gesture’ toward a match official. So, the Hawks guard received a fine of amount $35000 on Wednesday as a by-product of his actions.
Following this, Young took the intense situation up a notch as he expressed his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter). Rather than backing down, the NBA star openly mocked the league’s regulations. He wrote, “Hope it’s to a great cause,” to showcase his remorselessness after his actions.
The entire heated exchange further extended the long-standing issues between the NBA and the Hawks talisman following the controversial All-Star snub. Simultaneously, it added volume to the alleged bias of the league against the point guard.
Whether or not the Hawks star’s message was worth it though is a little bit of a doubt as the franchise had to suffer in the end after Young was ejected in the final moments before the team succumbed in front of the home crowd.
The hardships continue for Trae Young
This was the second time this season the Hawks facilitator had to pay a fine for his actions. On December 9, the 3x All-Star faced a penalty of $25,000 following a 113-114 home defeat to the Brooklyn Nets. The fine resulted from Young directing inappropriate language toward the match officials while displaying his displeasure.
Just days after that, Ice Trae was at the center of yet another controversial decision during a home clash against the Denver Nuggets. Following an argument with a referee for a non-call, the point guard picked up his second technical foul call of the game. Thus, he was forced to leave the court, paving the way for a debatable on-court instance.
So, his confrontations with the officials have become a recurring thing in the NBA. Furthermore, it has resulted in seemingly inescapable challenges for him and his struggling franchise. Therefore, it underscores the importance of maintaining composure in an NBA game, especially when the other side holds control.
