Hawks star Trae Young throws subtle shade at NBA over All-Star Game snub

Just days after the NBA revealed the starting lineups for the 2025 All-Star Game, set to take place on February 16 at the Chase Center, the reserves were announced. Surprisingly, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young didn’t make the cut.

Young’s omission, even from the reserve list, raised eyebrows. The Hawks’ star currently leads the league in assists with 11.4 per game, a feat many consider All-Star-worthy.

However, his past three All-Star appearances came either via fan voting or as an injury replacement, raising questions about how much his current season impacted the decision.

Following the announcement, Young voiced his displeasure on social media, coining a new term for being overlooked. “It’s no longer getting ‘snubbed,’ it’s getting ‘Traed’ at this point. Sorry to my fans… It’ll change eventually! All right, talk soon!” Young posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots the ball in the second quarter during the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

While Young is leading the NBA in assists, his scoring is at a career-low average (excluding his rookie season) with 22.5 points per game. The Hawks have also struggled, sitting at ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 22-26 record.

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Who made the NBA All-Star reserves?

With both rosters finalized, the Eastern Conference reserves include: Darius Garland, Damian Lillard, Jaylen Brown, Evan Mobley, Tyler Herro, Cade Cunningham, and Pascal Siakam. Young’s snub wasn’t the only controversial omission. LaMelo Ball also drew significant fan attention for being left off the roster.

The Western Conference reserves feature: Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Williams, James Harden, Jaren Jackson Jr., and. Alperen Sengun. Notably absent from the Western Conference list are Kyrie Irving and Devin Booker, two glaring omissions that have left fans debating the selection process.

Shaq defends Young after snub

Following the Hawks’ recent loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal offered his thoughts on Young’s exclusion during TNT’s Inside the NBA.

“He should be mad,” O’Neal said. “He should be upset because he said it like it was supposed to be said: 24 best players in the league. And he is one of the 24 best players in the league. I think the system is flawed. We need a letter-of-the-law definition of what an All-Star is supposed to be”.