Trae Young was announced as an All-Star replacement for Giannis Antetokounmpo due to his calf injury. The Atlanta Hawks point guard found out about the selection on the day of their game against the Orlando Magic, and he shared his thoughts on now being a four-time All-Star.

“It's cool,” Young said via Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “I think I'll be able to relax and really think about it later on in my career when I'm done, and I kind of wanna keep that edge on the competitiveness that I have to get it each and every year. It only raises our team and makes our team better when you're playing at that level. So I'm always going to have that drive, and I'll probably sit back and enjoy it and think about it a little bit more when I'm done playing.”

Some would say that Young was the biggest snub this year out of the All-Star reserves, especially with the numbers that he's put up this season. Not only is he putting up good numbers, but he's been responsible for most of the Hawks' points this season, whether it's from him scoring or assisting on them.

Trae Young representing Hawks during All-Star weekend

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Trae Young will now be the second player to represent the Hawks during All-Star weekend, as Zaccharie Risacher was already set to participate during the Rising Stars game and the Skills Challenge. For Young, he knows that being selected as an All-Star is less about him and more about the people who have helped him get there, and it's a mindset that he's grown to have over the years.

“It's about the city, it's about my teammates that helped me get to this position, my coaches that have given us great advice and leadership all year that helped me get to this position,” Young said. “Like it's not just about me. So, that's really the reason why I accepted it, but I understand like, the system isn't the same like we're used to, and so that's why I was never really mad or anything like I would when I was younger.”

Young will play on Team Chuck, who has Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and others. Throughout his years as an All-Star, Young has looked to be more a facilitator than a scorer, which is no surprise, and he'll have a lot of options to give the ball to during the game.