Many athletes have mimicked Trae Young’s signature ‘Ice Trae’ celebration, which became very popular after the Atlanta Hawks star’s exploits against the New York Knicks in the 2021 NBA playoffs. In 2022, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. added this iconic celebration to his repertoire. But the English soccer club Chelsea’s midfielder Cole Palmer recently accused Young of stealing his patented shiver celebration.
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In an interview with talkSport, Palmer claimed that it is common knowledge that he came up with the celebration first and Young certainly copied it from him. Since then, fans have been wondering how Young would react to the accusation.
During an appearance on Paul George’s Podcast P, the Atlanta Hawks guard addressed Palmer’s allegations unequivocally.
Young revealed that he didn’t even know about the Chelsea midfielder until the accusations sprang up. The 25-year-old then recalled how he came up with the celebration for the first time. While watching various athletes showcase their celebrations on TV in his basement, Young decided that he wanted something of his own.
One of his buddies pointed out the star guard’s ice-cold demeanor in clutch moments akin to the ice cubes in a tray. Hence, the moniker “Ice Trae” came into existence. It inspired the 3x All-Star to try something new in a game.
“I can vividly remember being in the basement with my homie being like, just watching games and seeing our favorite players doing that sh**. I was like, we gotta come up with something. He was like, ‘You Ice Trae, you be cold.,” Young told PG and the podcast co-hosts.
Then the Hawks guard revealed that he came up with the ‘Ice Trae’ celebration on the fly one day after hitting either a triple or a late-game shot. “I don’t remember if it was a game-winner or a three, I did it and then, I kinda ran with it. I didn’t get it from nobody,” Young added.
Whatever may be the case, he pretended to feel chills wrapping his hands around his shoulder, implying that he was too cold in high-pressure situations. Since then, the celebration has stuck with him.
In other words, the Hawks guard made it clear that the “Ice Trae” is his creation and he never stole it from Palmer or anyone else.
It is uncertain if Palmer came up with the celly on his own as well. But it may very well be the case that both athletes came up with the same celly without taking inspiration from each other. It’s difficult to figure out if they are both telling the truth.
The only way to solve the issue is for one of the athletes to try to patent it.
