Jan 10, 2026
3 min read
A larger-than-life personality at the right moment.
No one ever thought it would end this way, and yet here we are.
A eulogy for the superstar Atlanta needed
A larger than life figure for the right moment in time.
Young was dropped for C.J. McCollum and Corey Kispert midway through Wednesday's home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.That's it.It's a sad ending that went down much, much faster than any of us could have imagined.
But I'll try anyway.
Trae Young was a lightning rod of speech even before he arrived in the NBA.
At Oklahoma, he was a one-man offense in 2017-18, leading the country in both scoring and assists.His trademark distance bombs and frenetic pace of play produced ESPN-ready highlights on a weekly basis.
When he turned 30, it was big news.It was also big news when he had a shooting slump.Regardless, Young was a mainstay in the college basketball world.
Then on draft night, he captivated NBA fans without even dropping the ball.The trade proposal was heard around the world: Luka Donic and Trae Young traded for each other (and what would be the 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft in Kim Reddish).
It's unfair to admit that the Hawks got the worst possible outcome of this trade - yet it was the start of a new era behind a very special player.
For a long time, all I heard in Atlanta was that the Hawks didn't attract any stars. Although this great city is a center for music, art, television, movies, and culture (and the weather is great), the rich and famous athletes always prefer places other than the A's.
Great player for sure — but was he a superstar?
Well, he was sold and got a great contract.Then in 2010, he got a really big contract - bigger than LeBron freakin' James, who went to South Beach in South Beach at the time.He was a silent killer who lasted 20 years and had a torch.
But the Hawks were still the Hawks, and no one in the entire country noticed when the team was eliminated in the first or second round.Johnson was unceremoniously booted out of town two seasons out of his mega-deal.
Everyone's beloved lunch pail player - but is he a superstar?
At the end of his five-year extension on his original rookie contract, the Hawks asked themselves this question.Should we pay this famous player a full max contract?That answer was no, and Boston's answer was yes.The year was 2016 and Atlanta Hawks fans were able to witness Horford's production from afar during two stints in Boston, including during the 2024 title run.
Just kidding.Let's not revisit that.
Since Dominique Wilkins was traded in early 1994 (an event that remains a dead end), the Hawks simply never found a player who could spark a fan base and connect with the city in that way.
Trae Young was (and is) a shooting star.This is not an argument for impact on the court - this is a pop culture, headline and team marketing argument.
He put the Hawks on the map, if only for a while.His epic lob to John Collins (sometimes it wasn't a glass!), Nutmeg, and a host of live protest signs were quickly popping up on Youtube, TikTok, Twitter X, wherever teenagers get their dopamine.
Of course, during the first two and a half seasons of his career, many viewed it as flash without substance. From the fall of 2018 to the spring of 2021, the Eagles went 63-120 (.344) under Lloyd Pierce who coached Young and others.
Did Young's penchant for overdoing the results lead to Lloyd Pierce's dismissal?Is he now a coach killer?
Well, a 27-11 finish and subsequent run to the Eastern Conference Finals under Nate McMillan put those critics to rest.Well, Trae Young himself put many critics to rest at Madison Square Garden on that fateful day in 2021.
Atlanta was relevant.No longer just a passing mention from the national media.
The Hawks were here.
Of course, team success has been much harder to find since then, but Young has starred in four All-Star games, countless 25-nine seasons, an assist crown in 2024-25 and all manner of individual accolades.
He launched a shoe line.He launched a podcast.He even ad-libbed on a track featuring Quavo and 2 Chainz.It is an Atlantic culture.
We've reached the end of the Trae Young era, and that's my compliment.
He was brave, confident and arrogant.He became mean to many people.He eliminated his colleagues the wrong way.
But in all these situations, he was always very happy.
With less than five seconds on the clock in a clutch game, he never backed down from creating something ridiculous.
The truth is, the team hasn't been good enough since 2021, and its desire to extend is no longer in line with the organization's plans.Seo Young is now in DC and we have to find a way to do without her.
Even the fondest mental memories fade, but digital memories last forever.Mark the live links.Benchmark basketball statistics are burned in industrial servers.
We can always look at Trae Young's season any way we see fit.But the Hawks had a real star - a larger-than-life figure even in his physical stature.
And that's something - and someone - we can find joy in remembering.
