Atlanta Hawks: What is the Best Nickname for Trae Young?

A roundtable discussion of what the best nickname for Atlanta Hawks rookie Trae Young is.

Over the course of the offseason, the Atlanta Hawks completely transformed their roster from the 2017-18 season.

One of the most notable new additions to the Atlanta Hawks is the likable presence of new point guard Trae Young on the team. While there’s no question that he is a huge part of the franchise’s future, he has still only played one regular season game in the NBA.

Who knows what Young’s career might look like when all is said and done, but one thing is for certain: As devoted Atlanta Hawks fans, we must decide what the best nickname for our rookie point guard is.

The one that is mostly commonly heard at this juncture is Ice Trae, which we believe was first pioneered by omnipresent Atlanta rapper Quavo of Migos, whose song “Ice Tray” featuring fellow Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty was featured on record label Quality Control’s 2017 compilation album Control the Streets, Vol 1.

While certainly a catchy nickname that takes into account Quavo’s apparent interest in Young in the pre-draft process (something that was made explicit by Quavo on numerous occasions), is it the right choice for our hero?

Let’s explore the topic.

First Contender: Ice Trae

By: Chris Guest

So far, this moniker seems to be the frontrunner in the Trae Young nickname debate.

https://twitter.com/HawksOnFSSE/status/1052737124800258048

Many Atlanta Hawks fans as well as the team’s social media accounts and the accounts of the television home of the Hawks, Fox Sports Southeast, have already used the Ice Trae moniker to laud the play of the promising rookie.

Certainly, the lyrics of the song by Quavo on which this nickname is based (“Ice Tray”) features the refrain “Ice Tray the gang,” repeated many times – allowing the name to be further ingrained in Atlanta’s public consciousness.

What is Trae Young’s claim to fame? His shooting. Though his passing and high-IQ offensive skill set might be the most applauded aspect of his game by basketball nerds (like me), his shooting from long distance is mostly likely why the Atlanta Hawks drafted him #5 overall.

If he can repeat this feat of otherworldly clutch shooting from the preseason in the regular season, then fans must assume that Young is indeed Ice Trae, as only a cold-blooded assassin from three-point land could hit a shot so bold and beautiful.

Long live Ice Trae.

Second Contender: TraeTL

By: Noah Syverson

I get the appeal for a non-name-based moniker in the vein of Karl Malone’s “The Mailman” or Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba”.

However, “TraeTL” is simply too slick to pass up.

Its sharp consonance with the double “t” flicks off the tongue and lends itself nicely to name-drops in rap anthems. It spits.

The locality of the play on “ATL” ties Trae directly into the city and team. It’s short, sweet, and to the point–pithy enough to be featured prominently on the backs of jerseys and the fronts of t-shirts.

Additionally, it’s meant to be spoken. Written, it reads on first glance like “tray-tull”. However, it’s reliance on verbal proliferation actually helps its chances of cult adoption. Word-of-mouth dissemination is key to widespread endorsement. Three electric syllables, fun to say, that conjure up a dude who’s fun to watch.

The most important test of all? Envisioning real-world usage.

Picture in your head Bob Rathbun belting it out after a made trey from Trae. The rookie slowly backpedals, a sly grin gracing the mug of the baby-faced assassin while Bob booms forth in slow delivery, “TRAE…T…L…FROM…DEEEEEEP” as Dominique chuckles in the background.

Doth goosebumps not rise from thine flesh?

Let’s make it happen.

Third Contender: Replay Trae

By: Dallin Duffy

After being handed the “John the Baptist” nickname on a silver platter for John Collins from last year’s first round pick, this year is looking tougher.

Trae Young is a great basketball name, but maybe not great for nicknames. He doesn’t even currently have a nickname posted on his Basketball Reference profile, which is a travesty.

My humble submission would be “Replay Trae” (Replae Trae).

Trae is built for the modern NBA with his free shooting mentality, often a few steps beyond the line. 24-25 footers could be the norm for the rookie, which has garnered many comparisons to Steph Curry.

Because of this, Young is bound to end up on an abundance of highlight reels for his shooting, as well as his elite passing ability.

Even when his shots aren’t hitting, he’s still going to make the instant replays based on his smart, flashy passing and his occasional inside scoring prowess.

In short, Trae Young is a walking highlight tape, perfect to revive the past exhilaration of the “Highlight Factory”. His strengths on the floor are of the flashy variety, and you’ll be hard pressed to watch a Hawks game this season without frequent cuts to Trae Young replays.

Not only does it capture Trae’s exciting style of play, Replay Trae does what all sports nicknames do: rhymes.

Fourth Contender: Broadway Trae

By: Jack O’Donnell

As the future greatest point guard of all time, Trae Young needs a nickname fit for the future superstar he is going to become. Stephen Curry has the Baby-Faced Assassin (a bit wordy for my taste), Kyrie Irving has “Uncle Drew”, Russell Westbrook has “the Brodie” and reigning MVP James Harden has “The Beard”.

Young being a flashy passer and elite shooter needs a name that shows his night in night out awesomeness and I have just the one, “Broadway Trae”. It fits like a glove albeit one that would fit better in New York but hey take we’ll take what we can get.

https://twitter.com/FanSided/status/1054432521226571776

First of all it rhymes, second of all Broadway is as synonymous with flashing lights as New York itself and finally, Ice Trae is pretty weak so anything is better. Get ready for Broadway Trae to be a household name, and maybe if everyone hates that cause it reminds them too much of New York, “Peachtree Prodigy” is my backup nickname but it doesn’t rhyme and that’s no fun. GO HAWKS!!

There you have it. We each have our opinions, but in the end, we’re all excited that a (hopeful) future superstar is on the Atlanta Hawks roster for the foreseeable future. It’s going to be a fun season!