Trae Young reminded the world why every Knicks fan despises him. In the quarter-finals of the NBA Cup, the guard mocked the team in the dying seconds of the Hawks’ 108-100 win with a dice-throw celebration on the team’s logo at the halfway line. Like most fans, Nick Young enjoyed the pettiness. But when he learned it was pre-planned, he couldn’t help but marvel at the Hawks star’s audacity. However, not everyone was as impressed.
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In a rare episode of the Gil’s Arena podcast without Gilbert Arenas, Young oversaw proceedings as the crew discussed the second leg of the NBA Cup Quarter-final matches. The most talked-about moment was the Hawks star’s celebration, as they debated whether it was impressive or disrespectful.
Opinions were split. Kenyon Martin said that he loved what he saw from Ice Trae, siding with the people who claimed it wasn’t disrespectful. On the other hand, Young was unsure whether Trae planning the celebration in advance was more disrespectful than if he’d done it in the spur of the moment.
He compared it to his antics in the past by saying he had never planned any of them, and that they were all split-second decisions. He said,
“I don’t know how to feel though! The fact that he planned it you planned it, I don’t know was that more disrespectful? Because a lot of my stuff I just do on the spur. But you planned this, you saying, ‘You can’t guard me’? That’s more disrespectful.”
Trae Young shootin’ dice on the Knicks logo got Gil’s Arena turnt 🔥🎲 pic.twitter.com/sipkVkx1CW
— Underdog (@UnderdogFantasy) December 12, 2024
The former Laker claimed that while it was fun to watch, the celebration was disrespectful. Trae’s backcourt partner Dyson Daniels revealed that the guard had planned this celebration a few days in advance when he spoke to Malika Andrews and NBA Today a day after the game. He said,
“Oh yeah, we was talking in the locker room I think two days before this game that he was gonna shoot some dice. Perfect timing, he was dribbling out the clock… it was meant for it.”
"We planned that for sure." 😅 @malika_andrews with Hawks guard Dyson Daniels on Trae Young's 'shooting dice' celebration after eliminating the Knicks in the NBA Cup 😂 pic.twitter.com/9QSSlriOJ9
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 12, 2024
The Australian added that given Trae’s history with the MSG crowd, he was always going to pull out a special celebration in NYC, and the fact that this win booked them a slot in Vegas was the perfect motivation to debut ‘Dice Trae.’ Daniels said,
“For him, being in New York, all the love and hate he gets out there, it was just right.”
Some Knicks fans believed it was cringy on Trae’s part. However, his counterpart Jalen Brunson argued that they deserved it.
Brunson responds to Dice Trae
Brunson, who finished the game with 14 points on 15 shots, was understandably forlorn about the result and Trae’s celebration. But he showed his elite mentality in his interview in the locker room and claimed that the Knicks were to blame for Young’s celebration. After a reporter asked him if Trae’s antics bothered him, he kept it short and replied,
“We should win the game if we don’t want him to do that.”
A non-confrontational answer? Sure. But Brunson has been on the receiving end of iconic celebration just last season. Tyrese Haliburton paid homage to Reggie Miller’s infamous ‘choke’ after the Pacers came back to beat the Knicks in the playoffs. The guard knows the best way to respond after such a defeat is to bounce back and let your game do the talking.
