Trae Young is still trying to play the role of villain in front of New York Knicks fans, but he doesn’t seem to be doing it quite as effectively as he used to.
Young made an appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York on Saturday and tried to rile up the crowd by ripping a Jalen Brunson jersey. He ran into one problem, however: it would not cooperate with him, and he wound up just looking silly.
Trae Young tried to rip Jalen Brunson’s jersey and he failed 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/cUEUSKeuO2
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) July 18, 2026
Young wound up throwing the jersey into the crowd in defeat. Needless to say, that was not his plan.
Five years ago, Young famously made himself the heel in the Atlanta Hawks’ playoff series against the Knicks. He roasted them throughout the series, then relished in the hate afterward.
A lot has changed since then, though. Young plays for a different team, while the Knicks have won a championship. Knicks fans have not forgotten him, to be clear, but they also have moved on to other things in light of their recent success.
