Subscribe
Follow Us
Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns have never played together in the NBA but continue to share a close bond off the court. However, the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks stars will get a chance to play with each other in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game as members of the “Chuck's Global Stars” team.
The chemistry and bond between the two have been on display all weekend despite their lack of shared court time. It reached a peak at the All-Star Game media day when Towns crashed Young's presser when the latter was asked about his opinion of the Knicks.
“[The Knicks] are a great team,” Young said. “They got great players. They got some players that I really mess with on a personal level.”
“What's the message to Knicks fans?” Towns said. “I was just asking. I wanted to hear it myself, my bad.”
“I was just giving you a compliment,” Young continued. “You got guys like Kat [Karl-Anthony Towns], man.”
Reporter: “What’s one message to Knicks fans?”
Trae Young: “One message to Knicks fans. Hmm… I mean, I don't know, they're a great team. They got great players—”
Karl-Anthony Towns: “Hey, what's the message to Knicks fans?! I want to hear about it too.”
Trae: “See, I was just… pic.twitter.com/sky91dTu4I
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 15, 2025
While never playing with each other, Young and Towns have faced each other numerous times in the league. Since he joined the Hawks in 2018, Young is 8-5 against Towns, claiming the head-to-head record.
Young's edge over Towns continued into 2024-2025. At the break, Atlanta is 2-1 over the Knicks with one meeting remaining. However, New York took the most recent matchup, a thrilling 149-148 overtime game right before the All-Star break.
Hawks G Trae Young earns fourth NBA All-Star Game nod
In his fourth All-Star nod, Young was one of the latest additions to the game. The Hawks guard was a last-minute injury replacement for Giannis Antetokounmpo, thus landing him on the international team despite hailing from Texas.
In many ways, Young's seventh season has been his best. While his scoring has dropped a touch, Young currently leads the NBA with 11.5 assists per game, a mark that would be his career-high. He has thrived through adversity after the Hawks lost his primary running mate, Jalen Johnson, to a shoulder injury in January.
Young is not the only Hawk participating in the 2025 All-Star weekend festivities. His rookie teammate, Zaccharie Risacher, traveled to San Francisco for the Rising Stars Challenge and Skills Challenge. Risacher, the top pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, is currently averaging a modest 11.4 points per game.
Through the break, Young has the Hawks at 26-29 through 55 games. That puts them on track to qualify for the play-in tournament. After three straight playoff appearances from 2021 to 2023 — including an Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021 — Atlanta missed the postseason altogether in 2024.
