Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young is upset that the NBA didn't fit his Hawks into its nationally televised schedule for Martin Luther King Day. For the first time in three years, Trae Young and the Hawks are not mentioned on the national television schedule for MLK Day. The champion Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors are headlining the three-game slate.
The Dallas Mavericks will face the Charlotte Hornets, and the Memphis Grizzlies will host the Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA announced its regular season schedule on Thursday.
And while the Hawks will play against the New York Knicks, one of three additional matchups planned for January 20, it will not air on either NBATV or TNT's programming, which didn't sit well with Young.
“MLK disappointed in ya'll,” Young posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, with an image of the NBA's MLK Day schedule attached to his post. “I'm sorry Atlanta.”
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, as the Hawks typically play on the day we honor the brave Civil Rights leader. After broadcasting the Hawks nationally on MLK Day for three consecutive years, the Hawks' local telecast will take over in 2025.
Trae Young embraces Hawks first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher
The Hawks are having an eventful summer. After drafting Zaccharie Risacher first overall in the 2024 NBA draft, the Hawks dealt Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for a packaged deal centered around two future first-round draft picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, Cody Zeller, and E.J. Liddell.
After the Hawks' failed experiment of having Trae Young and Murray in the backcourt, Atlanta is amidst rebuilding on the fly and is looking to improve its 36-46 regular-season finish. Risacher, the league's top prospect ahead of 2024-25, had an impressive performance in his summer league debut against the Washington Wizards on July 12.
The 19-year-old French shooter netted 18 points on 7-for-16 attempts, including 3-of-9 from deep with his five rebounds, two assists, and one block. He also scored 11 points against the San Antonio Spurs two days later before missing the Hawks' third summer league game with a right quad contusion.
Young said he's reached out to the youngster and is embracing Risacher's incoming talent and high IQ, in a recent interview with Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George on Podcast P, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
“I have been texting him, sending him messages back and forth. He is talented; he is smart; he can make the right reads, and I know our coach Quin [Snyder] had told him to be aggressive, and I know he has not gotten up as many shots up today as I would like,” Young said. “But he is a smart player, and he is going to be really good in this league.”
It'll be interesting to see how Young and the rookie mesh on the floor in 2024-25.
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