Tuesday night’s Play-In Tournament game against the Orlando Magic was a tough outing for the Atlanta Hawks, and it turned even worse for their star, Trae Young, who was ejected in the final minutes of the 120-95 defeat. Criticism of Young’s actions following his ejection was voiced by Brian Anderson, who was calling the game on TNT. With under five minutes remaining and the game’s outcome already determined, Young stopped a ball that was being rolled to official Pat Fraher and then pulled it away again. After his ejection, he pretended to pass the ball to Fraher but dropped it on the ground as he headed to the locker room.
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young was ejected from Tuesday’s Play-In Tournament game against the Orlando Magic. pic.twitter.com/qIz1ZlAfRt
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) April 16, 2025
Following a replay of the incident, Anderson continued his critique, stating, “That’s a bad look. No reason to do that.” Stan Van Gundy added, “He was already ejected and then he decided to give some money to the NBA on the way out the door, which I think is charitable of him. Trae said, ‘Let me give you a little bit more.’” Anderson emphasized the poor example Young was setting, expressing concern for the young audience watching. “Problem I have with it, there’s a lot of kids watching,” he warned. “You don’t need to do that. And don’t do that, if you’re a player watching this. Don’t dare do that.”
“That’s a bad look. No reason to do that.”
“He was already ejected and then he decided to give some money to the NBA on the way out the door. I think that’s charitable of him.”
Brian Anderson and Stan Van Gundy react to Trae Young’s actions after getting ejected. https://t.co/z2yydzIsAa pic.twitter.com/YpDU7SgRwc
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 16, 2025
On a positive note for Young and the Hawks, this loss does not end their season. They will compete for the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed on Friday against the winner of the Wednesday night game between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. However, Young will undoubtedly face financial consequences for his actions during the game, despite differing opinions on the criticism from Anderson and Van Gundy.
