Trae Young to compete in H-O-R-S-E Challenge for charity

Trae Young is one of eight NBA and WNBA players set to compete in the NBA H-O-R-S-E Challenge, which begins at 7 p.m. Sunday on ESPN, the league announced Thursday morning.

Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul, a 10-time NBA All-Star, also will participate, as will Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, Chicago’s Zach LaVine, three-time WNBA All-Star Allie Quigley of the Chicago Sky, Utah’s Mike Conley and previous NBA Finals MVPs Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce.

From their isolated home courts — Young’s is in his driveway at his house in Norman, Okla. — the participants will match shots against each other in a single-elimination H-O-R-S-E competition. They will be divided into two groups of four, with the winners heading to the semifinals, then winners from semis heading to the finals. The four quarterfinals will be played Sunday, but the semis and finals will air on ESPN at 9 p.m. April 16.

Young joked with LaVine, a two-time NBA dunk contest winner, on Twitter that dunking shouldn’t be allowed in the competition.

The rules, indeed, bar dunking.

Each game will be started by the more senior player calling heads or tails, and players have to describe each shot attempt before they go for it. Obviously, the first player to “H-O-R-S-E” after failing to match five shots will be eliminated. To start out, Young is matched up with Billups.

The NBA suspended play March 11 because of COVID-19. State Farm will donate more than $200,000 to charities focused on the coronavirus response efforts in the participants' names.