National Basketball Association

Horsing Around

Updated Jul. 17, 2020 6:53 p.m. ET

The NBA was supposed to be gearing up to start the playoffs next weekend, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no telling when the season will resume – if at all.

In the meantime, however, Commissioner Adam Silver had an idea that he thought would help fans scratch their itch for some basketball.

How about an old-fashioned game of H-O-R-S-E?

The idea of a H-O-R-S-E competition was first reported last week and it immediately started conversation among fans, players, and talking heads.

And now, the contest is becoming a reality – let's dive into what you need to know.

The Details

H-O-R-S-E might not give fans the same rush of seeing the playoffs get underway, but it is better than nothing.

The four quarterfinal rounds of the contest will be held Sunday, April 12, at 7 P.M. ET, and the semifinal and championship rounds will be held on Thursday, April 16, at 9 P.M. ET.

Each contestant will compete in isolation from their homes or a court of their choice, and the event will be televised on ESPN.

State Farm will donate $200,000 on behalf of the participants to charities focused on COVID-19 response efforts.

The donation builds on the already $74 million that has been donated by the NBA to coronavirus response efforts through the NBA Together campaign.

The Contestants

The contest will feature an impressive field of competitors, ranging from current NBA All-Stars, retired NBA commentators, and WNBA Hall of Famers.

NBA All-Stars Trae Young and Chris Paul, former NBA Finals MVPs Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce, 2-time NBA Dunk Contest champion Zach Lavine, former WNBA Finals MVP Tamika Catchings, WNBA All-Star Allie Quigley and veteran NBA point guard Mike Conley Jr. will fill out the list of participants.

And here are the matchups:

Young – the youngest of the group – is already setting boundaries on what fellow participant Zach Lavine can and cannot do in the contest.

Paul Pierce even tapped himself into the event a week ago before the contestants were announced.

And April has proven to be an exciting month for Tamika Catchings. Not only will she take part in the H-O-R-S-E showdown, she learned she will join Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and others in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

What analysts are saying

So far, the H-O-R-S-E competition has already caused a healthy amount of conversation among basketball consumers, and last week, before the event was even a reality, our FS1 analysts weighed in on who they'd like to see, who would win, and what the rules should be.

Undisputed's Skip Bayless said that he would pick Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams as his two favorites in the NBA, but he also offered his thoughts on tournament guidelines.

"I would want some purity of competition. I would want to make it only shots that you would shoot in a basketball game. I also say no dunks because you don't want to give the big guys too much advantage."

We're yet to know the actual rules – if there are any – but we'll surely find out soon

Nick Wright of First Things First shared the same sentiment, believing Curry's status as the best shooter to ever pick up a basketball would have been a tremendous advantage.

"This to me is an obvious, easy answer. It's easier than spelling 'horse' on live television ... Steph's the answer."

And of course, the never-ending Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debate found its way into the commentary.

"People say, 'LeBron's a terrible shooter,'" said Shannon Sharpe on Undisputed about a potential game of H-O-R-S-E between James and Jordan. "But through the course of his career ... he is a better three-point shooter than Michael Jordan. You're going to have to be able to shoot from distance."

We won't get Steph or LeBron or MJ this time, but you never know what the future holds...