The NBA trade season is truly well underway, as the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards sent shockwaves throughout the entire league by trading Trae Young in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

Young, who has been the face of the Hawks franchise for most of the past decade, will now lead a young and exciting Washington core. However, he might not do with the same number 11 on his back that he has been wearing since his college days. But why?

Why is Trae Young’s usual No. 11 not available with the Wizards?

One thing that has remained constant ever since Trae Young made his debut back in 2018 for the Atlanta Hawks against the New York Knicks, and even before that, apart from his team up until now, has been the No. 11 he wears on his back. Although there seems to be no personal connection between the point guard and the number, he has made it his own and even made it popular in some way.

From Eastern Conference Finals to first-round exits, the 27-year-old has done everything repping the same number, something he won’t be able to wear after signing with the Washington Wizards. That’s because Washington has retired their No. 11 jersey to honor one of their best players of all time, Elvin Hayes.

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The Louisiana native, who played for the franchise for over a decade and is part of the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams, got his jersey retired by the franchise for his incredible contribution. Nonetheless, while that’s great, it means Trae Young will have to wear another number during his time in the capital. So, what will the former Hawks and Oklahoma star do?

Has Trae Young ever worn a different number before?

Although most of the fans have always seen Young wearing a No. 11 jersey, whether it be him suiting up for his college or in the NBA, the truth is that there was a time when he preferred another number on his back. The number in question? 3. The four-time All-Star guard wore the number during his high school days, when he was just starting out.

The influence behind the selection of No. 3 was his admiration for NBA legend Allen Iverson, who wore the same number during his 76ers days, which was retired by the franchise in his honor. So, could that be the number he turns back to with No. 11 not being available to him in Washington? Why don’t we find out about it?

What jersey number will Trae Young wear with the Washington Wizards?

No. 3 will be the digits that Trae Young will wear when he steps on the court for the first time as a Washington Wizards player. As we mentioned, this number resonates strongly with the superstar point guard, as he used to wear it during his early years in high school. The 27-year-old made it official through a social media post in collaboration with his new team.

“It’s official #TRA3 @washwizards,” the post was captioned.

In the picture, Young was seen smiling beside his new No. 3 golden Wizards jersey as he wore a simple black track suit. This number was most recently worn by none other than CJ McCollum, who was part of this interesting deal and will now be joining the Atlanta Hawks after the trade became official on Friday.

Nonetheless, while the connection with No. 3 and Trae Young is quite evident, one thing that’s more interesting than that is the fact that the Wizards have not allowed any other player to touch John Wall’s No. 2 jersey since his departure. However, that’s not the case with No. 3, which Bradley Beal used to wear while he was on the team.

Trae Young will become the latest person to wear the number, which was previously worn by one of the best players in the long history of the Wizards franchise. Now, we can only wait and watch when we will finally get a glimpse of the point guard with his new drip. He has been listed with a right quadriceps contusion for Washington’s clash with New Orleans tonight.