The NBA and ESPN have finalized plans to televise a HORSE shooting competition, with stars Chris Paul of Oklahoma City, Trae Young of Atlanta and Zach LaVine of Chicago among those who will participate, the NBA announced Thursday.
The NBA HORSE Challenge will include a couple of WNBA stars, including Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, and fairly recent NBA alumni playing in a single-elimination format.
Players will be filmed competing at home locations -- on indoor or outdoor courts -- and compete shot for shot in the traditional playground game. All first-round matchups will be Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, with the semifinals and championship happening April 16 from 9 to 11 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Young, an All-Star selection in his second season, joked with LaVine, a two-time NBA slam dunk contest champion, on Twitter.
ABSOLUTELY NO DUNKING🤨😅🤣 @ZachLaVine
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 8, 2020
😂😂🤷🏽♂️
— Zach LaVine (@ZachLaVine) April 8, 2020
Half Court Shots Only💯🤣 https://t.co/NLClxRGraG
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 8, 2020
LaVine competed in the NBA 2K20 Players Tournament, losing in the first round last week.
The first-round matchups: Young vs. Chauncey Billups, Catchings vs. Mike Conley, LaVine vs. Paul Pierce, and Paul vs. Allie Quigley of the Chicago Sky.
Title sponsor State Farm will donate more than $200,000 in support of coronavirus response efforts.
The NBA suspended play March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and there is no expectation that the league can resume play any time soon.
Current NBA isolation protocols governing players prohibit them from competing together in the same location.