Trae Young has only been in the NBA for 4 years now, but he has proven himself to be one of the best young players in the NBA today. Young is considered one of the best shooters in the league, the successor to Stephen Curry in terms of his three-point shooting.
But Young has been around many NBA players before he ever came into the league, thanks to his father Ray Young, who was a very accomplished collegiate basketball player.
Ray Young recently shared a picture of Trae Young and Kevin Durant from 10 years ago, prior to Game 1 of the 2012 NBA Finals, where the Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Miami Heat.
Ray also joked that Kendrick Perkins, who was on the Thunder, ignored him and Trae, but Perk responded by saying they were acting too ‘Hollywood’ for Perkins’ liking, leading to a hilarious back and forth between the two that was all in good fun.
10 year anniversary of this picture. Game 1 @okcthunder beat @MiamiHEAT with KD dropping 36/8…my friend @Davidvanterpool grabbed my son & said “come meet @KDTrey5” …the rest was history. I asked @KendrickPerkins but he BIG TIMED us😂 Just playing💯 pic.twitter.com/LNibnLgKPL
— Ray Young (@rayfordyoung) June 1, 2022
😂😂😂 naw never that. I gotta check out your youngin at a AAU tournament. I remember him shooting on the court after OKC games and nobody could TELL HIM NOTHING about getting off the court. Lol
— Ray Young (@rayfordyoung) June 1, 2022
Ray Young: “10 year anniversary of this picture. Game 1, OKC beat the Miami Heat with KD dropping 36/8…my friend David Vanterpool grabbed my son & said “come meet Kevin Durant” …the rest was history. I asked Kendrick Perkins but he BIG TIMED us. Just playing.”
Kendrick Perkins: “Nah you and Trae acted Hollywood towards Big Perk.”
Ray Young: “naw never that. I gotta check out your youngin at a AAU tournament. I remember him shooting on the court after OKC games and nobody could TELL HIM NOTHING about getting off the court. Lol”
Kevin Durant is far from the only player Trae Young met before he entered the league. He had the chance to meet superstars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, and Karl-Anthony Towns years before he became a superstar in the league like them.
Much like the players he met, Trae Young has gone on to become an All-Star in the league. Last season, Young was one of the best players in the NBA playoffs, as he led the Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2015.
2021’s playoff run was Trae Young’s opportunity to cement himself as a superstar. And he has done so.
While the Hawks did not have nearly as good a season this year, they will be hoping to place the right talents next to Young so that he can help the Hawks return to the Conference Finals, and maybe even make a run to the NBA Finals next season.
