Basketball

Atlanta Hawks PG Trae Young scores career-high 50 points as he honors Christ

By Kevin Mercer Feb 21, 2020
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young drives to the basket en route to his 50 points against Miami. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young sank a free throw with 2.5 seconds remaining Thursday night to give him his 50th point of the game — a new career high. His final made free throw also clinched a thrilling 129-124 home win for his Hawks over the Miami Heat.

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Young, who also led his team with eight assists on the night, connected on 18 of 19 free throws and eight of 15 3-pointers on his way to the 50-point mark. Twenty of his 50 points came during a tight fourth quarter.

“He just got into such an incredible rhythm,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told ESPN after the game. “He’s pulling up from six feet behind the line. … There’s not a lot of things you can do about that.”

Young has already lit up plenty of NBA scoreboards in only his second season in the NBA, much like he did in college at Oklahoma. The 2018 No. 5 overall pick with an affinity for 30-foot jumpers has averaged 30.1 points (now second in the league) and 9.2 assists (also second) thus far in 2019-2020.

Young was recently rewarded with his first trip to the NBA All-Star Game, in which he made the start at point guard for Team Giannis. He scored 10 points and dished out a game-high 10 assists in 16 minutes of action. Thursday night’s victory over the Heat was Atlanta’s first game since the All-Star break.

The Hawks are only 16-41 but one of the most exciting teams in the NBA, thanks in large part to what the 6-foot-1, 180-pound point guard can do on the court. Only three players (Devin Booker, LeBron James and Brandon Jennings) have scored 50 points at a younger age than Young, who is 21.

And even while Young is busy making his mark in the NBA, the deep-shooting phenom also finds time to give back to his new Atlanta community. Earlier this year, Young donated $10,000 and partnered with RIP Medical Debt to erase more than a $1 million of medical debt owed by 570 Atlanta families. Young’s heart for giving back stems from his faith in Christ.

He attended Victory Family Church with his family in Norman, Oklahoma, while growing up and during his college years at Oklahoma. He’s remained grounded in his faith even as he’s catapulted himself into the NBA’s elite. Young often shares his faith on social media:

Young and the Hawks take the court again at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday at home against the Dallas Mavericks.

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