The Washington Wizards finished the NBA season with the worst record in the league, yet the cellar star player, Trae Younghe still lives freely in the heads of New York’s biggest fans.
Five years after Young, 27, lit up the Knicks in the 2021 playoffs with the Atlanta Hawks, the Mayor of New York City. Zohran Mamdani he still likes to blame him for the team’s problems after the season.
“I can say that I blame Trae Young,” Mamdani, 34, told reporters when asked about the cheap Knicks playoff ticket prices on Thursday, April 16. “And I think it’s important to blame Trae Young.”
The youth held their breath with the mayor’s comment and responded with a warning about X.
“Remember what happened the last time the Mayor of that city put my name in his mouth at a time like this… 😂✋🏽 #DontBlameMeWhenItHappensAgain,” he wrote.
Young was talking about the former Mayor of New York Bill de Blasiowho donned a Knicks cap in 2021 and sent Young a message about playing basketball “the right way.”
“I have an important official announcement,” de Blasio, 64, said at the time. “This is very bad and I want to make this clear. A message to Trae Young on behalf of the people of New York City and anyone who cares about playing basketball the right way. Stop hunting for fouls, Trae.”
He continued, “I want to quote Steve Nashone of the greatest players, the greatest coach. He says, quote unquote, ‘That’s not basketball.’ Trae, Trae, that hawk won’t fly in New York City. Come on. Play the game correctly, see if you can win. I think the Knicks will teach you a lesson.”
The Hawks defeated the Knicks, 3 games to 1, in their playoff series, as Young averaged just under 30 points per game and scored the game-winner in Game 1 with less than a second left.
As the Knicks prepare to host the Hawks again in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Mamdani also shared his opinion about the sky-high admission prices at Madison Square Garden (the Game 1 admission price was $346 per ticket, as of Friday morning, April 17, according to SeatGeek).
“We have seen that sports have become a luxury and it is no longer the same as before,” said Mamdani. “I think it speaks to a lot of the ways in which New Yorkers, more often than not, are pushed away from the things they enjoy the most. I’m still confident and optimistic about the tournament this year.”
The Hawks and Knicks will square off in Game 1 of their playoff series on Saturday, April 18 at 6 pm ET.
