Trae Young was used to drawing big crowds at Norman North High School, but on this February day in 2017, the hundreds that had gathered to watch him weren’t there to see him nail insane shots or send impressive passes flying. Instead they watched as he fiddled with a microphone—not yet used to the press-conference-esque setup the high school had staged for its scrawny, 6’2 star’s big announcement—with a gold chain peeking out of his zip-up sweatshirt, ready for the most highly-anticipated moment of his basketball career to date.
When the moment finally came for Young to announce his college commitment, the room erupted—loud enough that one Norman North teacher remembers immediately reaching for the remote to dial the volume down on the live stream being broadcast in classrooms, offices and homes alike throughout the city that she, and countless other community members, were using to watch Young unveil his future team.