Atlanta Hawks star and New York Knicks villain Trae Young received one vote to become New York City’s new mayor during their recent mayoral election.
As Knicks fans streamed out of Madison Square Garden on June 3, they espoused their hatred from the man who prevented a potential Knicks title: Atlanta Hawks Trae Young.
“Is Trae Young valid?” a Knicks-themed Spiderman named Spider Cuz asks fans. “No!” they shout in unison.
Apparently, one New Yorker thought Trae Young was valid — as a candidate for New York’s mayor, at least.
During the Nov. 2 election, Young received two write-in votes to become New York City’s mayor, according to the New York City Board of Elections report that was released Wednesday.
Young wasn’t the only basketball figure to receive a write-in. Apparently three people voted for Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, but one of them misspelled it — so there’s one vote for Tom Thibodau. Kemba Walker received one vote, RJ Barrett received three, and Julius Randle received a total of 6 write-ins from across different counties.
Casting in names of athletes seems to be common practice, but casting a vote for Trae Young in a city that despises him is more surprising than casting at least 10 votes for the Knicks.
New York voter casts ballot for Trae Young as NYC mayor
Ultimately, it was Democratic candidate Eric Adams who won the race by 753,800 more votes than Young.
As Spider Cuz made clear in his interview with Knicks fans, Trae Young has become the villain of New York City after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It was the first time the Knicks reached the playoffs since 2013, and Young crushed hope in Madison Square Garden when he shot the game-winner.
“F— Trae Young,” became the resounding chant in MSG, to which Young replied by putting his finger to his lips to shush them.
When Young scored 36 points in Game 5 and eliminated the Knicks from the series, he took a bow before the crowd.
Although one New Yorker with a sense of humor voted for Young, Knicks fans have made it clear that he’s not welcome in the city anytime soon.