Trae Young riles up Knicks fans with Jalen Brunson taunt at Fanatics Fest
Appearing at the Fanatics Fest event in New York City, Trae Young continued to play up his role as the biggest villain when it comes to annoying New York Knicks fans.
Young, who became a member of the Washington Wizards last season, showed up to make a big entrance on a WWE professional wrestling-themed stage and ramp with fans in the vicinity. He arrived out to WWE star Rey Mysterio’s entrance song and graphics, but had a special surprise for the Knicks fans.
After slapping hands with fans on the sides of the ramp, Young backed up a bit, pulled a Brunson jersey out, and proceeded to try to rip apart the jersey. As one could imagine, he was immediately booed because, after all, the event is in New York City, home of the Knicks, who just won a championship last month.
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After destroying the Brunson jersey, Young tossed it into the crowd for a fan to have as a memorable souvenir from Fanatics Fest. The Wizards star was clearly in heel mode throughout the entrance and even afterward.
“You know how it is, we in New York. They must be some Knicks fans back there,” Young said when asked about the judges’ scores for his entrance.
Young made a heart gesture with his two hands before exiting from the stage to more boos, jeers, and not-so-nice things yelled his way.
Young, aka “Ice Trae,” became a villainous figure in New York during the 2023 NBA Playoffs, when he infamously scored a game-winner to silence Knicks fans in Game 1 of their series, and then literally made gestures to the crowd telling them to stay silent.
In Game 5 of that series, he dropped 36 points and nine assists, helping the Atlanta Hawks defeat the Knicks in five games during the first round.
He also infamously taunted Knicks fans by spinning the basketball on their logo after the Hawks defeated the Knicks in a big 2024 NBA Cup game. The NBA star previously called it a “love-hate relationship” with Knicks fans.
Young is heading into an intriguing 2026-27 season in his career, as he was traded from the Hawks to the Wizards last season. Fellow All-Star Anthony Davis also joined the team, but never really played.
Add in the No. 1 draft pick, AJ Dybantsa, whom the Wizards added to the starting lineup, and things are looking up for the Washington, D.C. team, if they are on the floor healthy and playing.
However, they’re unlikely to make serious noise in the Eastern Conference like the Knicks did last season, or could do again this season. Brunson led his team on an epic playoff run with back-to-back sweeps during the Eastern Conference portion of the bracket, and an impressive 4-1 defeat of Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Regardless of being on a new team, Young has certainly kept the feud with the Knicks alive, so it should be fun to see what transpires when the Knicks and Wizards meet in the regular season.
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