Nowadays, professional basketball players receive a lot of criticism for everything they do, whether on the floor or off the floor, as social media has changed everything by giving anyone the ability to make their voice heard for better or worse.
One NBA player that has dealt with more criticism than most is superstar forward Kevin Durant, as his move to the Golden State Warriors a few years ago resulted in a lot of backlash, as fans felt he took the easy route to winning a championship.
Although Durant has been vocal in firing back at fans and pundits whenever he’s criticized publicly, he seems to have figured out a way to deal with all the outside noise, which has inspired superstar guard Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.
Even though Young hasn’t dealt with the hate and criticism on the level that Durant has during his career, the young guard has had his fair share in his time with the Hawks, with the team failing to live up to expectations and a lot of the blame being put on the up-and-comer.
Young described how he looks up to Durant for how he’s dealt with everything over the years while talking with former NBA star Gilbert Arenas on Gil’s Arena via Legion Hoops.
Trae Young on dealing with hate from fans:
“I looked up to KD a lot like, to see him go through all the stuff he went through when he left (OKC) and coming back. I was at that game, when everybody in the arena wearing cupcakes.”
(via @GilsArenaShow, https://t.co/YF6a3K5grc) pic.twitter.com/f8GzdwjF7N
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 5, 2023
Heading into the 2023-24 NBA season, Young will be under a lot of pressure to help the Hawks become a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference, as the team has consistently failed to make an impact when playoff bound.
Fortunately, Young has Dejounte Murray to play alongside in Atlanta, which should help take the load off his shoulders, but it remains to be seen how things will pan out for the Hawks next season.
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