Trae Young

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young is happy he let his game do the talking when it comes to Jimmy Butler.

During a December game against Butler's Miami Heat, Young assisted a basket to put his team up by six points with less than a minute remaining and turned to the crowd and said "it's over." The only problem was that it wasn't, and Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports noted the Heat scored six straight to force overtime and the first 16 points in the extra period.

Young tweeted a simple acknowledgment of the mistake, while Butler said "this man @traeyoung is a teller of the future. he was right. game WAS over!" on his Instagram page.

The Hawks youngster joined Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson for an interview with Showtime Basketball and laughed about the game, saying it "should have been over."

He also revealed he was thinking about how to respond to Butler on social media when those around him said "wait until you play him again, let that do the talking." That's exactly what he did, dropping 50 points in a 129-124 Atlanta victory over the Heat on Feb. 20.

He also responded in kind:

The next time the Hawks and Heat meet up will be appointment viewing.

As a young player in the NBA, Trae Young has turned to Vince Carter for guidance during their two seasons as teammates with the Atlanta Hawks.  

In an interview with Ernie Johnson, Young explained that the other Hawks players "call him Yoda" because he "has all the knowledge in the world."

Carter, 43, knows the NBA's evolution from a slow, methodical game in the 1990s to the fast-paced, wide-open style of today better than anyone. 

Drafted No. 5 overall in 1998, Carter became the first player in NBA history to play a game in four different decades when he checked into the Hawks' January 4 game against the Indiana Pacers. 

The 2019-20 season also marked Carter's 22nd in the NBA, breaking a tie with Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis and Dirk Nowitzki for the most in league history. 

Carter's words of wisdom appear to have rubbed off on Young. The second-year point guard was named to his first All-Star Game this season, and he ranks second in the NBA with 9.3 assists per game and is tied with Giannis Antetokounmpo for third in scoring average (29.6). 

Given the uncertainty around the rest of the NBA season due to the coronavirus pandemic, there's a chance Carter has played his last game in the NBA. The North Carolina alum told ESPN's Rachel Nichols on The Jump last June he would retire after this season. 

One fan secured a once-in-a-lifetime experience with Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young thanks to a $90,000 bid in the All-In Challenge.

Young put up three courtside seats to a Hawks game for auction, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The winners will get a car service around hot spots in Atlanta before meeting the All-Star in the tunnel at State Farm Arena.

The fans will then get a chance to watch pregame warm-ups on the court and sit alongside Young during the postgame press conference.

To top it all off, the prize includes a game-worn jersey and customized shoes. The starting bid was $15,000.

The proceeds will go to Feeding America, Meals On Wheels, World Central Kitchen and No Kid Hungry.

The auction is part of the All-In Challenge created by Fanatics founder and Philadelphia 76ers part-owner Michael Rubin. The donations have helped raise more than $26 million to those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lofty expectations come with going No. 1 overall in the NBA draft.

So, it's unsurprising that an anonymous NBA head coach projected New Orleans Pelicans 2019 top overall pick Zion Williamson to win a league MVP award at some point in his career.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps surveyed 20 people in and around the NBA about whether Williamson, Ja Morant, Luka Doncic or Trae Young is better to build a franchise around.

"I'm only taking Luka because of health concerns about Zion," a Western Conference coach told Bontemps. "If [Zion's] healthy, I think he'll win an MVP. That's how good I think he is."

Bontemps' survey resulted in 17 first-place votes and 77 total votes for Dallas' Doncic, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, while Williamson landed 11 second-place votes and 52 votes overall. Morant, who went second overall behind Williamson to Memphis, came in third with 47 votes. Atlanta Hawks All-Star point guard Young garnered 24 votes to finish last.

As for Williamson's health, the 19-year-old Duke product underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in late October, which delayed his regular-season debut until Jan. 22.

Williamson started 19 games before the NBA announced the suspension of its 2019-20 season because of COVID-19 on March 11. He scored at least 20 points in 16 of those appearances, breaking several records along the way:

Zion Williamson has extended his 20-point streak to 12 consecutive games, the fifth-longest active 20-point streak in the league and extending his own record for the longest by a teenager in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/BNwlxiWCCa

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 4, 2020

At the time of the stoppage, Williamson was averaging 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 58.9 percent shooting from the field.

However, that is a small sample size. The long-term durability of Williamson's 6'6", 285-pound frame seems to be a widespread concern.

"Health. He'd be [No. 1] otherwise," a Western Conference scout said to Bontemps. "Those other guys are going to be great for 10-plus years. There's just too much [injury] risk [with Williamson]. Now, if I want to just be great now? Take him. He's just unique and great for today's NBA."

Nobody hopes Williamson holds up more than the 28-36 Pelicans.

New Orleans is depending on Williamson to replace Anthony Davis, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers last summer, as the franchise's face. Beyond that, Williamson could do what nobody has been able to do and bring an NBA championship to the Bayou.

The Pels only made the playoffs twice since taking Davis No. 1 overall in 2012.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was the overwhelming pick from a panel of 20 NBA coaches, scouts and executives who were tasked with ranking their preferences between four of the NBA's brightest talents.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, the group had Doncic, New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant and Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young from which to pick. Doncic collected 17 first-place votes, while Williamson had one first-place vote and 11 second-place nods.

The extent to which Doncic dominated the vote is surprising, but he's the safest choice from the quartet.

The 21-year-old's reputation preceded him before he arrived in the NBA. He helped guide Real Madrid to a 2018 EuroLeague title and was the EuroLeague MVP.

Doncic still exceeded expectations as a rookie, averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists. His game has gone a step further in 2019-20 as he's putting up 28.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.7 rebounds through 54 games.

Williamson, meanwhile, has been exactly as advertised after finally making his Pelicans debut. He's averaging 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor.

The questions about Williamson's long-term health will continue to hover for the next few years until he proves he can stay on the court. He's a 6'6", 284-pound forward who lives above the rim, and he already underwent surgery for a torn meniscus.

Because he has missed so much of the season, Williamson has likely ceded the Rookie of the Year race to Morant.

One executive in the Eastern Conference told Bontemps he believes the Grizzlies point guard has more room to grow in the future than Doncic:

"I don't know if Luka can be any better than he is. He's really good. But I think this might be who he is -- which is very good.

"But Ja can get better in terms of his shooting, his team will get better around him and he makes players better around him. I think he can affect the game at both ends."

Young is the odd man out to some extent since he's the only one without a second-place vote and the vast majority of fourth-place tallies (16).

The Hawks point guard is averaging 29.6 points and 9.3 assists, and his three-point shooting has improved from 32.4 percent to 36.1 percent.

Young's poor defense continues to cancel out his offensive contributions, though. He's dead last in ESPN.com's defensive real plus-minus (minus-3.12).

One East executive questioned whether Atlanta can build around Young as the alpha dog and might instead have to make him the 1B to a different 1A, similar to the dynamic the Oklahoma City Thunder had with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time.

Atlanta Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young was a little more specific:

The Last Dance, an ESPN 10-part documentary series capturing Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' dynasty, disclosed several examples of Jordan's trash talk during its third and fourth episodes Sunday night:

Earlier this year, Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett—who himself is known for trash-talking—revealed one of his most memorable experiences with Jordan (warning: video contains profanity):

According to Garnett, that was the last time he ever talked smack to Jordan. Lesson learned.

Jordan had an inkling that people might react the way Young did.

The Last Dance director Jason Hehir told The Athletic's Richard Deitsch prior to the series' debut April 19 that MJ had said, "When you see the footage of [me riding with Scotty Burrell], you're going to think that I'm a horrible guy" (h/t Jose Martinez of Complex).

Jordan was taken third overall by Chicago in 1984 and won six championships with the Bulls from 1991 to '98, as well as countless individual accolades. The Last Dance chronicles the team's last title run in 1997-98.

The Dallas Cowboys selected Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft on Thursday, and fellow Sooners alum and Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young was excited:

Luka Doncic may take care of Lamb, but Cowboys fans will be hoping Dak Prescott does, too.

The Cowboys have quite the exciting cast of weapons on offense, ranging from wideouts Amari Cooper, Lamb and Michael Gallup to running back Ezekiel Elliott. Prescott should have fun this year.

Granted, the team's defense still needs help, which may be the difference between Dallas being a Super Bowl contender and failing to reach the postseason again.  

But for Thursday night, at least, Oklahoma and Dallas fans alike were pumped. 

If nothing else, LeBron James may have some extra motivation the next time he plays the Atlanta Hawks.

On Sunday, Hawks guard Trae Young suggested watching the Last Dance documentary chronicling Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls may change his mind in the never-ending debate about who is the greatest basketball player of all time:

It was just last month Young listed James at the top of his rankings:

As the Hawks guard hyped Jordan up during the series premiere, Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell made sure to remind Young of his list:

Even hardcore Jordan fans should cut the Hawks playmaker some slack. After all, the 21-year-old Young was born after the Bulls legend lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the sixth time, meaning he never had the chance to watch Jordan work his magic in person or on live television.

By contrast, he grew up in an era dominated by James and now has the chance to play against the King at the highest level of the game. LeBron is 35 years old but is still on the short list of the best players in the league even today, underscoring the longevity of his greatness.

Young, like sports fans everywhere who are starving for content, can't wait to watch the Last Dance documentary.

He may even learn a thing or two about His Airness' greatness.