You may have heard that plans were in the works for current and former NBA/WNBA players will be having a HORSE shooting competition. Well, those plans have come to fruition and according to reports, the competition will begin on Sunday and will air on ESPN.
One reason for Detroit fans to be excited about this competition is that former Pistons PG Chauncey Billups is scheduled to be part of it.
Full ‘HORSE’ roster:
▪️ Chris Paul
▪️ Trae Young
▪️ Zach LaVine
▪️ Mike Conley
▪️ Chauncey Billups
▪️ Paul Pierce
▪️ Allie Quigley
▪️ Tamika CatchingsWho you got? pic.twitter.com/Vz6pQY1PGg
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) April 9, 2020
Here is how the competition will work: (Via MLive)
Participants in the challenge will be divided into two groups of four and play in courts at their homes. They’ll match shots of their opponents in a single-elimination tournament style. After the first two games, the winners of each group will head to the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals will match-up in the championship round.
The most senior player will call heads or tails at the coin toss to determine who takes the first shot. Each player must detail the shot attempt that they will take and define the type of score they intend to make before taking a shot, like if it’s a bank shot or swish. Players won’t be able to dunk and for each missed shot, they’ll get a letter. The first player to spell H-O-R-S-E will be eliminated.
State Farm, who is sponsoring the event will also donate more than $200,000 to charities working to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Everything will air on ESPN and it can be streamed on theESPN app.
Here are the groups for Sunday’s challenge:
Group 1:
Chauncey Billups – NBA Legend, ESPN Analyst
Tamika Catchings – WNBA Legend
Mike Conley Jr. – Utah Jazz
Trae Young – Atlanta Hawks
Group 2:
Zach LaVine – Chicago Bulls
Chris Paul – Oklahoma City Thunder
Paul Pierce – NBA Legend, ESPN Analyst
Allie Quigley – Chicago Sky
NBA HORSE Challenge
Sun, Apr. 12, 7-9 p.m.
Quarterfinals Group 1: Trae Young vs. Chauncey Billups
Quarterfinals Group 1: Tamika Catchings vs. Mike Conley Jr.
Quarterfinals Group 2: Zach LaVine vs. Paul Pierce
Quarterfinals Group 2: Chris Paul vs. Allie Quigley
9-11 p.m.
Quarterfinals Encore Presentations
Thu, Apr. 16
7-9 p.m.
Quarterfinals Encore Presentations
9-11 p.m.
Group 1: Semifinals
Group 2: Semifinals
HORSE Championship Game
