Trae Young trolls Knicks over Jalen Brunson at Fanatics Fest
Washington Wizards guard Trae Young trolled New York Knicks fans while in NYC for Fanatics Fest 2026, posting a trending Instagram story from his car and later ripping a Jalen Brunson Knicks jersey on stage. Young then said the jab was playful trolling and that he is happy for friends on the championship Knicks roster.
Key Takeaways
- Young shared an Instagram story while driving around New York that included highlights against the Knicks.
- At Fanatics Fest, he tore a Jalen Brunson jersey on stage after drawing boos from the crowd.
- Brunson led the Knicks to a title this season and earned Finals MVP honors.
- Young later posted that he was only trolling and saluted “some of my boys” on the Knicks.
- The spat adds heat to upcoming Wizards–Knicks matchups in 2026-27.
The moment went viral over the Fanatics Fest weekend, blending arena-villain theater with social-media showmanship that sports fans now track alongside the league’s louder Future Tech & AI Wonders buzz cycle.
Why did Trae Young target Jalen Brunson at Fanatics Fest?
Young has been a Knicks villain since 2021, when his Atlanta Hawks won a first-round series in five games. He famously bowed to the Madison Square Garden crowd after closing that series.
According to Bleacher Report, he kept the bit going Friday with an Instagram story filmed while driving around NYC during Fanatics Fest. On the Fest stage, video showed him ripping a Jalen Brunson Knicks jersey in front of fans who had come to see Brunson and his teammates.
Brunson’s status made the prop pointed: Heavy.com notes he led New York to a championship this season and won Finals MVP. Young, now with Washington after a January trade from Atlanta, still treats Knicks nights like personal theater.
How did Knicks fans and NBA social media react?
Young was greeted with boos as he entered Fanatics Fest. When the jersey came out, the floor reaction turned hostile almost immediately.
On X, Knicks fan “Colebear” called Young “the biggest cornball loser ever,” arguing his career still rides a series win over Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle. Fan accounts framed the Trae-vs-Knicks beef as heating up again. Legion Hoops joked that Young brought a Brunson jersey he “tried to rip, but couldn’t.”
That backlash fits a longer pattern: November 2024 trash talk telling Knicks fans to go home, dice-throwing on the Knicks logo in an NBA Cup quarterfinal, and years of MSG chants aimed at Young even when he was not on the floor.
Did Trae Young walk back the Jalen Brunson jersey moment?
One day after stirring the pot, Young softened the tone. Quoting an aggregator’s post of his car video, he wrote on X that he “just be trolling sometimes” and added he is “Happy for some of my boys over there fr!”
Heavy.com pointed to a real Knicks link in assistant coach Chris Jent, who spent five seasons on Atlanta’s staff around Young’s early career. Still, New York fans are unlikely to forget the bow, the shushes, or a torn Brunson jersey in their city.
For the Wizards, the calendar still includes trips to face the defending champion Knicks. If Friday’s clip is any guide, the next Madison Square Garden night will not be quiet.