Atlanta Hawks Fined $100,000 for Sitting Trae Young Against Celtics

The NBA has fined the Atlanta Hawks $100,000 for keeping All-Star guard Trae Young out of their November 12 victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA Cup.

The Hawks had listed Young on the injury report with right Achilles tendinitis and said that was the reason for his absence. Despite missing their star player, Atlanta narrowly defeated the defending champions 117-116.

After investigating the situation, including consulting an independent physician, the NBA ruled that Young could have played in the game. The league stated that the Hawks’ actions violated the Player Participation Policy, which aims to ensure players take part in regular season games to promote competition.

“This conduct violated the policy intended to encourage participation in the NBA’s regular season,” the league said in a statement.

Young has been in strong form this season, averaging 21.9 points and leading the league with 11.9 assists in 17 games. The Celtics game is the only match he has missed this season.

Over his seven-year career with the Hawks, Young has been an All-Star three times and averages 25.4 points and 9.6 assists per game across 424 starts.