Hawks star Trae Young, speaking to the media Friday for the first time since the firing of coach Nate McMillan, mentioned the love and respect he has for his former coach.
McMillan was fired Tuesday and assistant Joe Prunty named interim coach. Young wasn’t available after Wednesday’s practice and was excused from Thursday’s practice because of a family emergency, which he confirmed in a tweet later that night. He reiterated that “everything was all right” Friday following the team’s shootaround before its home game against the Cavaliers.
Here’s what Young said in his abbreviated time with the media (some content was abridged for clarity):
Q: What were your thoughts when the team decided to move on from coach McMillan?
A: I got a call, I actually saw it from (Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN). I was waking up from a nap and heard about it. And it was surprising to me. I mean, the timing and stuff, right now. But obviously, I know what this league is and Nate knows. We’ve talked since then and had a conversation and stuff like that. So, I got nothing but love and respect for Nate and the type of person he is, and things like that. So it’s not the last time me and him are going to talk. I mean I talk to all my coaches that I’ve played for. So, that’s what I was expressing to him, and I appreciated him for, I mean, being a part of that run that took us in this franchise further than it’s been. So, he should get a lot of love for that alone (and) for what he’s done for us and his team and this organization. So I got nothing but love for him, and it’s a tough situation. But, it’s part of this league, and I got nothing but love for him.
Q: It seems like people focus on the contentious side of the professional relationship, as opposed to the personal side that you guys have developed. So how would you describe your relationship over these last couple of years?
A: Yeah, a really good relationship. I mean, we’ve won a lot of games with each other. And, even in times whenever the play-in games, and both of our days are out, and (we were) playing against two monsters in the play-in in Cleveland, a lot people probably thought we were out. And me and him, we talked about it at halftime and we found a way to win that game. There’s a lot of moments that people don’t really understand that me and him have had, and it’s OK. I mean, they’ll get brought up eventually. And I know I don’t tell anybody everything, but I kind of let y’all make up rumors of certain things about how I am and how my relationship is with certain people, but I just play basketball and everybody else around me, they know how I am. And they know the type of person I care about and all those guys, I care about. So, it’s tough.
Q: I‘m sorry to ask this again, but the perception of “coach killer” has come up. What do you think of that label and is it appropriate, or unfair, or anything like that?
A: Oh, people are gonna say what they got to say. I mean, a lot of players have played for a lot of coaches. So, I don’t look at it like that. I’m not looking at the next coach that comes in here or whatever. I’m just trying to, I’m trying to win championships. So, whatever it is, I’m just trying to win. So that’s all I care about.
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