Photo: Peter Baba

As the Oklahoma City Thunder prepare for their NBA Finals showdown, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is watching closely – not just as a fan, but as a competitor with renewed determination.

A native of Norman, Oklahoma, and a former star for the University of Oklahoma Sooners, Young still feels a strong connection to his home state and the Thunder.

But seeing his hometown team climb to basketball’s biggest stage has only added fuel to his championship ambitions.

“It’s even more motivating for me,” Young told Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution during a sponsor event held Wednesday in Oklahoma City. “I want to win a championship bad. But the fact that it’s in my city and I’m just watching it now, if you thought I wanted it bad before, it’s even worse now.”

Young made it clear that while he’s rooting for Oklahoma City from afar, his ultimate goal is to bring that kind of postseason success to Atlanta and soon.

“Hopefully we’re here playing the Thunder next year,” he added. “And I’m not having this (event) here in OKC. So, we have this party there in Atlanta. I love Atlanta.”

Despite missing the playoffs for the past two seasons and not surpassing 43 wins since Young was drafted in 2018, the two-time All-Star remains upbeat about the Hawks’ future.

He believes the team has key pieces already in place.

“We had the No. 1 pick (Zaccharie Risacher) last year that made strides and almost won Rookie of the Year, got second,” Young said. “We have a lot of young, young, really good players. We have a great coach. We have a lot of stuff, and we have a big summer ahead, for sure.”

As other teams rise in the East and West, Young hopes to turn Atlanta into a legitimate contender and stage his own Finals run – ideally one that would include beating the Thunder on the game’s biggest stage.

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