Trae Young’s Father Told Celtics Executives to “Keep an Eye” on His Son

It takes wise and visionary eyes to foresee a generational talent hidden inside a 14-YO. The NBA scouts are particularly good at acknowledging such flair in young players. And those who are not, they miss out on signing someone like Trae Young who had already shown enough character in his early teens to prove that he will make it big.

Also, before any scout, it’s the parents who very intimately get to see a talent in-the-making. But in the world full of wanna-be parents of superstars, it is easy to take their words lightly. Something of that sort happened with Trae Young’s father when he met Celtics execs.

When Ray Young predicted huge success for Trae Young

Exactly eight years ago, on July 10th, 2013, Ray Young met with Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens. Danny served as the Celtics’ President of Basketball Operations for 13 years starting 2008 while Brad joined the C’s as a head coach on July 3, 2013.

In that meeting, Rayford Young told the two men of importance, “keep an eye on this kid”, a confident request that went into thin air. Take a look at Ray’s reminiscence and how he responded to many comments in the same Twitter thread.

8 years ago to date July 10, 2013 I told @danielrainge & coach Brad to keep an eye on this kid. They gave me that “sure dad, just take the pic already” look. But seriously, the were both kind enough to give my son words of encouragement. @NBA @celtics pic.twitter.com/XuMqXXEHJI

— Ray Young (@rayfordyoung) July 10, 2021

Years later in 2018, the Hawks drafted a 19-YO Luka Doncic and swapped it with the Mavericks for Trae Young. The Celtics, as the fate would have it, were owners of pick #27 and all they could manage was center Robert Williams. While the Phoenix Suns would still be okay with a #1 DeAndre Ayton pick, who knows what would happen if the Kings had taken Trae #2. 

Feb 10, 2021; Hawks’ Trae Young defends against Mavs’ Luka Doncic during aregular season game at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Read more – “We Got the Same Mentality” Hawks’ Trae Young Reminisces the Time He Met Kobe Bryant

The Atlanta Hawks star and his passion for meeting NBA players

From a very early age, perhaps Ice Trae had made it his teenage purpose to get a picture with almost every star. A young Trae has pictures with late Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, and many others. 

Take a look at some of those here and don’t miss out on how Blake grabbed Trae’s head as if it’s a basketball.

Well, all that inspiration he kindled in himself led to insane early success in his career. In 2019-20, Trae averaged a career-high 29.6 points and continued that form in 2020-21. This year, his 28.8 average in playoffs almost sealed an NBA Finals berth for the flying Hawks. 

It is now certain that this All-Star with a great shooting range will see many youngsters dying to get a picture with him. Are you one of them? Help us know in the comments.

Watch this story – Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young and His Most Iconic NBA Playoffs Moment

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