Trae Young was the leader and the face of the Atlanta Hawks for eight years before he was traded to the Washington Wizards in January. Although things didn't end with the Hawks the way he had imagined, Young will never harbor any ill feelings toward the franchise that gave him his start in the NBA.

State Farm Arena in Atlanta was packed on Tuesday night for Young's first game back since the trade. Even though the All-Star guard wasn't officially taking the floor and has yet to play with the Wizards, this was still an emotional return for Young, especially since his love and appreciation for the fans will never cease to exist.

“I just wanted the Hawks fans to know how much I love and appreciate them,” Young said before Tuesday night's game, via Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “Getting drafted, obviously the (draft night) trade … I still found a way to make a name for myself, make a name for my team, and try to put this city on the map where people were talking about us. You can’t do that without the fans. The fans showed us so much love.

“I’ve got so much love for this city and these fans.”

Change is always a weird feeling, especially for professional athletes like Young, who have never played for another team before in their careers. This feeling of “returning home” is new for Young, but he isn't sad that his time with the Hawks is over. Instead, he continues to celebrate his accomplishments and hold Atlanta close to his heart.

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After all, this is the city that gave him his start as a professional basketball player, and you can't tell the story of his career without first talking about what he meant to the Hawks franchise.

“It’s been crazy; it’s been different,” Young stated regarding his return to Atlanta. “From everything, I’ve just been, to be honest, trying to soak everything in since I’ve been back, just the new experiences and things like that that, obviously, I’m not used to. It’s super unique and something that I’ve been thinking about these past few weeks.”

Between an emotional tribute video before the game and being showered with love from the Hawks' fans who filled the arena, Young's return to Atlanta was certainly overwhelming. While he would've loved to make his official return to the court against his former team, Young acknowledged that it simply wasn't meant to be this time around.

However, the star guard made it clear he will have many more chances to compete in Atlanta. Only this time, it will be as a member of the Wizards and not as the face of the Hawks.