Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young to Compete In Televised H-O-R-S-E Event
By Dallin Duffy
Trae Young to join Chris Paul, Zach Lavine in NBA H-O-R-S-E event.
Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young is set to compete in a televised game of H-O-R-S-E that will air on ESPN sometime in the near future. The announcement came a few days after initial reports that the worldwide leader in sports and the NBA were working on ways to keep live basketball in the mainstream, which also includes the NBA 2K players tournament happening right now.
According to Woj, Young will join NBA stars Chris Paul and Zach LaVine in addition to WNBA players and NBA alumni, which are unnamed at this point.
Sources: The NBA and ESPN plan to televise a HORSE competition is nearing completion and among those expected to participate include Chris Paul, Trae Young and Zach LaVine. Competition will also include a couple of WNBA players and recent NBA alumni.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 8, 2020
The NBA tried their hand at H-O-R-S-E three times before, with Paul Westphal winning in 1977, and Kevin Durant winning in 2009 and 2010. The latter two did not go over very well, with most considering the event boring. It was axed from the All-Star Saturday schedule after just two years in 2011.
Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic putting a hold on nearly all live sports, fans are hungry for anything resembling real basketball. H-O-R-S-E would come close to that and be able to be televised without the players actually sharing a court.
It’s just another chapter of Trae Young’s busy social-distancing period in which he’s appeared in the NBA 2K players tourney, starting streaming video games, created a TikTok and practicing his dribbling against his dog. It’s the type of mainstream appeal that the Atlanta Hawks have been lacking in their players for quite some time.
As for his chances of winning, I’d say Trae has a pretty solid shot. Chris Paul and Zach LaVine are both terrific players but aren’t quite the shooters than Young is — especially from deep, “Trae range.”
LaVine is known for his otherwordly hop and dunks, so if they let those count, I don’t see Young or CP3 matching them. Paul has a great mid-range and sneakily solid three, and the veteran will probably be the odds-on favorite to win.
Obviously that can all change when the WNBA players and NBA alumni are announced, and someone like Ray Allen or Dell Curry could lessen Trae’s advantage from deep.
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As mentioned, the NBA has not announced an official time for the event yet, but we’ll keep you updated on that and any other Atlanta Hawks news.