Four years into his career, Trae Young has already established himself as one of the most electrifying players in all of basketball. Already a two-time All-Star with an All-NBA selection under his belt, that statement isn’t hyperbolic... his game backs it up.
With an unprecedented level of scoring and playmaking at the point guard position, Young has quickly climbed the ranks of the NBA’s best players and has resurrected the Atlanta Hawks from lottery team to two consecutive postseason appearances, including an Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021.
Now, the next step for Young and the Hawks is potentially hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy to help cement his meteoric rise in the NBA. As his fifth season approaches, Young is unveiling his Trae Young 2 sneaker with Adidas.
“My childhood dream was to have my own signature basketball shoe and it’s surreal to be announcing my second sneaker with Adidas,” Young said in a press release. “Through our partnership we aim to inspire future hoopers to dream big and to stay true to themselves. I hope that others can relate to my journey as an example of what is possible through the game.”
With so much more in store for him on the horizon, he sat down with Complex to discuss having a sneaker under the same umbrella as superstars such as James Harden, Damian Lillard and Derrick Rose, chasing the greatest players to ever play, and his championship aspirations.
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
How does it feel to have your own sneaker line? Is it something that you dreamt of growing up?
For sure, it’s a dream come true. The more shoes I make, it’ll never feel normal to me. Always seeing kids wearing my shoes, it’s a dream come true and I don’t take it for granted.
How does it feel when you see kids actually playing and hooping in your shoes?
It’s crazy. It’s humbling, it’s exciting anytime I See anybody wear them, especially kids, because that used to be me wearing my favorite player’s shoes on the court. I just see myself as those kids and always appreciate it and it always humbles me when I see kids wearing my shoes.
Can you speak to your relationship with Adidas? We have seen James Harden, Damian Lillard and Derrick Rose be faces of the brand in the past and now you are the future. How is that relationship with them?
It’s been really good, anytime I see them throughout the season they always point out my sneakers and bring up my shoes. I got to meet them a couple of times before I got to the league and now that I have my shoe with the brand, anytime I see those guys, even Donovan [Mitchell], we always show love and talk about each other’s shoes. I think, especially with Dame and James, they are like big bros with me and having a shoe with the same brand is awesome.
Is there anything different about these shoes that will help with your performance? Building off the first pair of sneakers you released?
I’m always going to try and make it custom to the way I play, being able to always cut fast and run fast is always going to be important to me. There are some new things design-wise to the shoe that hasn’t been on any other basketball shoe before as far as looks go. I’m excited, the way they feel is amazing and I can’t wait for everybody to feel them.
You’ll be playing this season alongside another All-Star guard in Dejounte Murray. What do you think he is going to add in particular next to your game as far as complimenting your style of play?
He adds a lot. He is a very versatile guard who can score and pass the ball, but he’s also really good on defense and will help on that end. I think anytime you can add a smart basketball player, I think it’s great for any team. I think he makes our team better and we are looking forward to going out and proving it.
What do you think needs to happen this season for the Hawks to step back towards reaching the Eastern Conference Finals and not suffer a similar up-and-down year as this past season?
For any team that makes it to the Final Four of the playoffs in the NBA, there has to be a lot of things that go right for your team. For us, we have to have guys healthy for the whole year and get off to a great start, and just stick to it. Getting that far is not easy, you have to have a little bit of luck and some things go your way throughout the year and hopefully things fall your way later on.
Consecutive postseason appearances for Hawks is still a step in the right direction. Have you had a chance to step back and look at how far the franchise has come in the last two years from where the Hawks were when you first came into the league?
Sometimes, I don’t look back too much. I appreciate what has gotten me to this point, I take time every now and then and appreciate where I’m at now and put things into perspective, but at the same time I’m trying to look forward and keep going because I know I have a long ways to go.
Two-time All-Star already, All-NBA. You have accomplished a lot already, but do you ever think of where you are currently amongst the best players in the league and what is it that drives you to continue to work towards continuing to become one of the best players in the world?
For me, my motivation isn’t competing with current guys. My motivation is when I’m done playing to be considered one of the best players ever at that point. I’m not trying to compete now with guys in the current game because some of my favorite players are retired. I’m trying to be on that level, and some of those guys are still playing today. I don’t get caught up with comparisons and comparing myself to guys now, I’m trying to be one of the best ever.’
There tends to be a negative stigma around undersized guards on whether or not they can be the best player on a championship team. Does breaking that stigma add extra motivation for you as a point guard?
Goofies only think that way. Steph was the best player on a championship team and they just won it this year. Small guys have shown that. Isiah Thomas has won championships, Chauncey Billups has won championships. There have been small guys that have led their teams to championships before. I’ve never heard that before but maybe it’s because I don’t read too much stuff, but I don’t believe in that stigma.
