Trae Young said: Shimmy shimmy, ya.
In the third quarter of the Hawks' Eastern Conference finals win, Young drained a 3-pointer, which is pretty much expected of him at this point in the playoffs.
What preceded the bucket, though, is what's worthy of words: Young took an extra second to square up to the basket, and another second to hit the Bucks defense with — what will be — an instant-classic shimmy which will be played ad infinitum throughout his career.
TRAE YOUNG IS SO DISRESPECTFUL 💀
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 24, 2021
He hits the shimmy before taking a 3 pic.twitter.com/kZHiUOTTnq
MORE: Three ways Trae Young torched the Bucks in Game 1
Young explained the ice-cold shoulder shrug after the game:
“I got a little second to get a deep breathe and knock it down.”
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 24, 2021
Trae Young on hitting his shimmy three vs. the Bucks pic.twitter.com/4AuDtau0I2
"I had a lot of time," Young said. "I had a lot of time, and I was kinda tired, a little bit. So I got a little second to get a deep breath, and knock it down."
He did have a fair amount of time before the close-out on his shot attempt happened: In real-time, Young had just about two seconds before the close-out from Bobby Portis came, which might as well be an eternity in the NBA.
Good thing for Young, it doesn't look like there's any hard feelings for the gesture: Giannis Antetokounmpo said as much after the 116-113 Hawks win.
Young's dazzling 48-point effort in Game 1 was just the latest in a string of star-making performances during the 2021 NBA playoffs, with the Hawks inching ever closer to that elusive fifth NBA Finals appearance and first since moving to Atlanta in 1968. The Hawks last played for a championship in 1961 when they were in St. Louis. Since moving to Atlanta, the Hawks have reached the playoffs 33 times but have never been to the NBA FInals.
Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but at least Young gave the world a highlight that will be replayed as long as the internet exists.
