Father of Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young reacts to fan spitting on his son

Trae Young's father reacts to fan spitting on son

Ray Young says he was not happy when he realized what happened in the viral video. But he says this is the mental toughness he instilled in Trae Young to have.

ATLANTA - Safe to say Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young will be surrounded by a friendlier crowd for games three and four in the NBA playoffs. They host the New York Knicks at State Farm Arena in their battle to stay alive in the post-season.

FOX 5 spoke to Young's father, Rayford Young, who says the atmosphere for games one and two in New York's Madison Square Garden, where Trae Young played in front of a hostile crowd, was "crazy".

Ray Young says he heard firsthand all the degrading chants about his son from Knicks fans.

But he says he was sitting on the opposite side of the court, behind the Hawks bench, when that spitting incident happened in game two. So he didn't realize his son was spit on until he saw the viral video on TV.

He says it's disappointing when it gets to that point but at the same time, he's not surprised when the atmosphere becomes this intense.

"Especially at this level when you bring alcohol into it, you have a lot of people gambling on these games. It gets so emotional," says Ray Young.

"One of the biggest things was there are so many kids at these games. There are so many kids, and these kids are hearing it. And you know Trae has fans in New York as well so there are a lot of little kids that are fans of Trae that are hearing it so as a dad that’s the main thing I think about," Ray Young said.

Ray Young talked about what happened when there was a discussion about pressing charges against that Knicks fan.

"The NBA reached out to his team, his agent, and Trae, and the players association. Trae talked to me about it for a little bit and he made the final decision not to move forward pressing charges," Ray Young said.

"He's here to help Atlanta get to the next level and be the best teammate he can for the Hawks and represent this city the best way he can."

Ray Young says some Knicks fans came up to him and his wife and apologized.

He predicts the Hawks will move on to the next round.

Hawks won game three on their home court at State Farm Arena Friday night. The Hawks lead the best of seven series 2-1.