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Update: ESPN officially announced that the HORSE competition will begin on Sunday, April 12 at 7:00 pm ET. Trae Young will square off against Chauncey Billups in the first round. If he advances, the semifinals and championship matchup will air on Thursday, April 16 at 9:00 pm ET.
In a key announcement... dunking is prohibited.
On Thursday evening, Trae Young will participate in the quarterfinals of the NBA2K “players-only” tournament, after the Atlanta Hawks guard advanced with a first round victory over Harrison Barnes. In the near future, Young will reportedly be returning to the ESPN airwaves as part of another televised competition featuring NBA players, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that the 21-year-old star will be part of a HORSE competition alongside Chris Paul, Zach LaVine and others.
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
Given that Wojnarowski reports the talks are “nearing completion,” it isn’t a done deal just yet that this event will happen. In fact, it remains to be seen as to how this competition will actually come to fruition, but ESPN’s previous reporting indicated that players would be using “home gyms” and “competing shot for shot in the traditional playground game.”
Young has a basketball setup at his home in Oklahoma and, given his well-documented skill level, it would be an obvious fit for him to be a participant in the festivities. Schedules and logistics aren’t available just yet but, if this event happens, it appears that fans of the Hawks will have another avenue in which to watch some basketball-like action involving the face of the franchise.
Stay tuned.