Trae Young, planning to make his season debut for his new team, the Washington Wizards, in the coming week, was ejected by officials from Monday night’s game.
The multi-time NBA All-Star sat on the Wizards’ bench in street clothes as his team faced Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. However, a rules violation ended his time as a bench spectator early in the game.
The former Atlanta Hawks star has been out with a knee and quadriceps injury since his trade to the Wizards. Young’s surprising ejection occurred hours after he posted on social media about his anticipated return from injury, which is expected later this week against the Utah Jazz.
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“We have a technical foul on Trae Young for running on the court, and he’s been ejected,” the referee announced on the microphone, drawing surprised reactions from the commentary team.
Along with that, there was a foul on the Rockets from the previous play, and the refs reviewed it to determine whether it was a flagrant foul.
A camera quickly captured Young being acknowledged by teammates as he turned and headed back to the locker room after being ejected from the game.
“Trae Young hasn’t even played a game yet for the Wizards,” the commentator said as the camera showed him slapping hands with fans and others on his way out.
A replay showed Young going onto the court, pointing and yelling as he tried to call attention to a foul that had recently occurred on the court.
The Rockets went on to win the game 123-118 behind solid contributions from Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard. Sengun led the way with 32 points and 13 rebounds, while KD finished with 30 points and seven rebounds.
After being tossed from Monday night’s game against the Rockets, Young sent a message to fans about the situation, promising it won’t happen much more while he’s playing for the Wizards.
“Don’t expect me to get ejected too many more times D.C.,” Young wrote on X with a crying laughing emoji, adding, “but I’m definitely bringing that energy & competitiveness when I’m back for my brothers!”
According to a report earlier from Shams Charania, Young is expected to return from injury and play on Thursday when the Wizards host the Jazz. After beginning his career with Atlanta in 2018, Young was traded from the Hawks to the Wizards ahead of this season’s trade deadline, giving him a fresh start with a new team.
His newest team is continuing to rebuild after struggling to reach the postseason since the 2020-21 season, and with a 16-44 record, is third-worst in the Eastern Conference.
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