Knicks Fans' Disdain for Trae Young Continuing With Wizards

No one can knock a New York Knicks' fan's ability to hold onto a petty feud.

They're not Philadelphia fans, who can turn on all of their favorite teams at a moment's notice. Knicks supporters love their team hard, and continue bristling at any threat to their guys long after the peril has been neutralized.

It's been nearly five years since Trae Young first made a name for himself as an heel. It was during the 2021 NBA playoffs when he made his postseason debut against the Knicks, who, like Young's Atlanta Hawks, had also gone a long time since they last made meaningful noise in the Eastern Conference standings.

That Knicks team, captained by the rejuvenated Julius Randle, an iconic veteran in Derrick Rose and young prospects like RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, was fun. They didn't have anyone who could match Young's workload and late-game heroics, though, and he relished sending the higher-seeded Knicks home in front of their furious fan base.

And for the most part, that was that for the peak of their rivalry. Young rolled the dice on the Knicks' logo when he knocked them out during the knockout stage of last season's NBA Cup, but he hasn't won a playoff series since that first round matchup against New York. His old foes, however, have surged, appearing in seven different postseason series over three consecutive bids. Just last spring, they, too, earned a trip to the conference finals, matching Young's high-water mark from all those years ago.

As if they hadn't already asserted control in the rivalry, Young's midseason trade to the Washington Wizards seemed to finalize the verdict. While the Knicks are still contending, the Hawks opted to send their franchise star packing after several disappointing seasons.

He's yet to suit up for the rebuilding Wizards, who just added fellow star Anthony Davis via trade, but the Knicks fans proved that they have no intention on letting the beef simmer. When the team visited the nation's capital earlier this week, there were the well-represented away team fans to greet their old thorn, and Young recognized them as such.

Trae Young gets booed by Knicks fans down in DC 😂 pic.twitter.com/S2kWYSBIqq
— Knicks Fan TV 🏀🎥📺🏁 (@KnicksFanTv) February 4, 2026

A Brewing Rivalry Within a Known Dispute

Fans of the Knicks already have reasons to root on the Wizards' downfall. They hold the rights to Washington's top-eight protected 2026 first-round draft pick, meaning that if they fall out of the top eight of the final lottery drawing, the pick is forfeited back to New York.

The Wizards are keenly aware of this quirk, and angled their season into another tank-job. They're one of the favorites to finish this season with the worst record in the association, slightly aided by the clobbering that the Knicks just handed to their conference neighbors.

Washington Wizards Guard Trae Young — Jan 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Newly acquired Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (R) and Wizards forward Anthony Gill (16) celebrate from the bench with Wizards forward Tristan Vukcevic (00) against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Young acquisition was never meant to interfere with their long-term goal of adding one more blue-chipper to Washington's already-dense young core. But next season, when the All-Star is projected to return to the lineup as a regular contributor, he could be joined by a good-enough band of prospects alongside Davis to shoot right back into relevance, and he'll be sure to note when he'll make his first trip to visit his old friends in Madison Square Garden.

Just as how the Knicks and Hawks frequently got into it, the ascending Wizards could take the spot of New York's regular irritant.

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