Trae Young speaks his truth, the trade that fueled him, why he left the Hawks, regrets from Atlanta's ECF run, Washington future, MSG's villain, criticism, chasing greatness, protecting family, Jalen Brunson & De'Aaron Fox.

Pivot Podcast

The Pivot Podcast Network

Football, Society & Culture, Sports

4.9 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2026

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“Regardless of what people think of me, I know who I am & let my play talk for me.” Trae Young Some conversations hit right on time and this is one of them- we sit down with NBA star Trae Young for one of his most personal and revealing episodes yet, peeling back the layers of one of sports' most misunderstood stars. From Oklahoma roots to growing up under the guidance of his father and navigating the pressures that came with being a basketball prodigy, Trae opens up about the journey that shaped him into one of the league's most polarizing and electrifying players. He reflects on draft night, being traded moments after being selected, and how that blockbuster deal fueled the chip on his shoulder from day one. Trae shares stories from his high school days competing alongside future NBA stars Jalen Brunson and De'Aaron Fox, the doubts he faced throughout his career, and the motivation he found every time critics counted him out. He revisits his unforgettable playoff battles in New York, embracing the infamous "F*** You Trae Young" chants at Madison Square Garden and turning hostility into fuel. The conversation also takes a deeper look at his years in Atlanta—the highs, the heartbreaks, and the magical run to the Eastern Conference Finals that changed the trajectory of his career. Trae reflects on falling short of reaching the NBA Finals, the lessons learned from adversity, and what it meant to carry a franchise's expectations. Setting the record straight, Trae opens up for the first time on how the move to the Wizards became a reality and the misconceptions around his departure from the Hawks, a city that he called home for so long. Now entering a new chapter following his move from Atlanta to Washington, Trae discusses leaving behind the city that drafted him, embracing a fresh opportunity with a hungry group of young players and the legacy he hopes to build moving forward. He takes us inside his circle, to understand more just why and how the trade came together. In an emotional moment, Trae reflects on the bond with his younger brother, the urge to protect him every step of the way and how he works to make sure his career doesn’t cast a shadow on the future he’s creating. Raw, honest, and insightful, this episode reveals the man behind the headlines as Trae opens up about family, criticism, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of greatness. Pivot Family...comment, like, hit the subscribe button, we enjoy hearing and learning from you- the good and the bad, we want to know! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	America is hosting the World Cup, and let's be honest, it's not quite the same. The goalie has just been ejected and given away a PK that could send it to overtime. What's this guy on about? But one thing that's universally understood is free. Have a completely free-shot at cash prizes every day of the tournament, with Paddy Power's new free-to-play game Cash Cup, 750K to be won across the tournament nobody does football better than us paddy
0:22.7	power win at the game receive a selection if the selection wins you win a share of the daily cash prize only one
0:26.7	entry per round eligibility restrictions and further teas and seas apply 18 plus gambleware dot all everyone loves the highlights
0:31.8	deep threes logo shots to bow at madison square the villain role he's embraced in arenas across America.
0:39.1	Trey Young has done all of those things, but you'll learn today he's much more. People didn't
0:44.5	always see the road that built the man. Growing up in Norman, Oklahoma, wasn't always easy. He lived in
0:50.7	the shadow of expectation. He navigated a complicated relationship with his father.
0:56.0	And he even gets emotional thinking about his brother growing up in the same place that he did.
1:02.0	And Draft Night, one of the most talked about trades in NBA history, a deal that will forever link him to Luca.
1:08.0	And from that moment, every accomplishment, setback, playoff run would be measured
1:12.4	against someone else's success. But all Trey did was become the face of a franchise. Lead Atlanta
1:18.6	to places no one ever thought possible. He silenced crowds, he created moments, and he built
1:24.5	a career that deserved more respect than it's gotten. But now he's on to the next
1:29.8	chapter in Washington, a new city, a new opportunity, another chance to prove what he spent
1:35.2	his entire career proving that no matter how many people doubt him, overlook him, or underestimate
1:41.4	him, Trey Young always finds a way. Today we talk family and pressure.
1:47.5	We talk about expectations and how difficult they are to live up to. Atlanta to Washington,
1:54.1	fatherhood, and even brotherhood and how those things are linked. And the weight of carrying a name,
2:00.7	people love to debate. This is a
2:02.4	conversation about proving who you are when the world keeps trying to tell you who you're supposed to
2:08.5	be. And sometimes they even say, F you, Trey Young. But not today, because we're excited to welcome
2:15.2	Ice Trey to the Pivot. Trust, trust, limit this, niggins to me kind pin in it. I find they here to witness it. Come up, people feeling militant. My daughter plays Barth in seventh grade. Oh, that's fine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My wife's five. Dang, seventh grade? Yeah. Yeah, fine. So your wife's all. You did it right. Oh, I wasn't man, nobody. I had bad needs, and I asked my wife when we met. When I started dating and I was like, how's your knee health? Because I had to breathe in some good needs. You was already planning. That's crazy. Hey. Hey, let's stop talking about breeding right now. Please. You're doing, dude. Let's start talking about that.
	...

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