Trae Young’s Dad Doesn’t See His Son Following LeBron James to LA
Through his first two seasons in the league, Trae Young has emerged as one of the most promising young stars. That rising prominence has come under greater scrutiny after the Atlanta Hawks All-Star decided to make a change in his representation that has brought forth rumors around joining the Los Angeles Lakers down the line to play alongside LeBron James potentially. It didn’t take long for Young’s father to step into the conversation to quickly shut down that chatter from gathering any more steam.
Trae Young signs with Klutch Sports
In his first two years in the league, Trae Young has quickly developed into one a star talent that has become the face of the Hawks.
Young has earned his first All-Star selection after his breakout second year that has also garnered a great deal of recognition. That saw him become a legitimate star as he was selected as an Eastern Conference starter for the All-Star Game as he averaged 29.6 points, 9.3 assists, and 4.2 rebounds before the season was suspended.
With the Hawks’ 2019-20 season come to a close, the 21-year-old made the significant decision to change his representation as he left Octagon to join Klutch Sports last week. Young’s decision comes after his former agent Omar Wilkes left the agency to become the head of basketball operations at Klutch Sports to allow Rich Paul to shift his focus to various CEO duties.
It didn’t take long for that chatter to crop toward Lakers rumors arising around Young, which his father has stepped in swiftly to shut down.
Trae Young’s dad steps in to shut down Lakers rumors
Throughout the entire process, the chatter around Trae Young has moved to possible Lakers rumors playing alongside LeBron James.
That has been fueled by Anthony Davis’ move to Klutch Sports that linked him directly to Los Angeles. However, Young’s father, Rayford Young, has voiced to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic that his son’s track record speaks for itself.
“I wish people would look at his history,” Rayford said. “He’s never been a follower. When he won the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, he could have went to a super team after that. He turned down going to Oak Hill Academy, which is one of the top prep schools. People told him in high school that he wouldn’t be an All-American or a top recruit if he went to a local high school in Norman, Oklahoma. He averaged 44 points his senior year and was an All-American. Then they told him that he wouldn’t be a first-round pick if he went to Oklahoma. Calipari sat in our living room and told him, ‘If you want to be a lottery pick, you better come to Kentucky.’ He stayed with Oklahoma. He’s never been a follower. This whole thing with Klutch never had anything to do with going to play with the Lakers one day. They have a lot of people on their roster who aren’t with the Lakers.
There are many solid points made there, as Trae has taken his path on the basketball court away from the “easier” route. He has stuck firm with grinding away toward reaching the success he has that early in his career. In his father’s eyes, all of that isn’t about to change.
Trae Young’s future with Hawks
As long as Trae Young stays with Klutch Sports, the rumors of him joining LeBron James with the Lakers will remain.
However, Young controls his destiny that he appears to be set on helping guide the Hawks into becoming a powerhouse in the league. He’s at the head of their young core group with plenty of talent alongside John Collins, DeAndre Hunter, and Clint Capela.
There is still plenty of room for growth, but he has a chance to build something special that the franchise hasn’t had in quite some time.
