Trae Young

Chauncey Billups, Mike Conley, Zach LaVine and Allie Quigley joined quite the exclusive club Sunday.

They won a nationally televised HORSE competition put on by the NBA in an effort to provide content during a worldwide pandemic that forced a suspension of the current season. After Devin Booker won the NBA 2K Players Tournament, the league organized an eight-player HORSE competition featuring some of the game's brightest stars from a list of current players, WNBA players and former players.

The rules were straightforward for anyone familiar with the backyard game.

A coin toss determined who shot first for each game, and—much to the detriment of the high-flying LaVine— dunking was not allowed. Whichever player couldn't match a shot five times and accumulated the letters H-O-R-S-E was ousted from the single-elimination tournament.

The games were filmed at home locations to accommodate social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic, and State Farm is donating more than $200,000 to charities involved in relief efforts on behalf of the participants.

The first-round matchups were as follows:

• Trae Young vs. Chauncey Billups
• Tamika Catchings vs. Mike Conley
• Zach LaVine vs. Paul Pierce
• Chris Paul vs. Allie Quigley

It didn't take long for a head-turning result.

It appeared as if Young, who is tied for third in the league in scoring this season, was going to cruise to victory against Billups when he gave the retired NBA champion three letters out of the gate with a combination of shots that included a behind-the-backboard attempt and a left-handed free throw.

However, the five-time All-Star didn't back down and came roaring back, tying the score with a banked three from the top of the key and taking the lead with a one-handed underhand free throw.

Mr. Big Shot went back to the well and eliminated Young with another banked triple from the top of the key.

Conley put the current players on the board with an easy win over Tamika Catchings. Although he arguably had an unfair advantage playing on an indoor hoop when Catchings was outside in windy Indianapolis, he unleashed an array of corner three-pointers and weak-hand shots to clinch the victory.

His most impressive shot was a weak-hand, behind-the-backboard layup that barely moved the net.

Catchings at least gave Conley a letter, which is more than Paul Pierce can say about his matchup with LaVine. While LaVine couldn't dunk, he found a loophole of sorts with a handful of layups that the retired Pierce—who was playing in the rain—could not match.

LaVine touched the backboard on one side and reversed it in from the other side on one layup and then dropped the ball in from above the rim with his left hand on another. Just for good measure, he drilled a shot from out of bounds to give Pierce the final letter.

Quigley kept the Chicago momentum rolling following LaVine's win with an impressive showing against Chris Paul.

The backboard was the Chicago Sky sharpshooter's friend, as she mixed in a number of bank shots and built a quick 4-1 lead in letters. She even banked one in while sitting on the ground, despite pleas to the contrary from the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard:

Paul busted out the trick shots to stay alive with a one-legged turnaround attempt, one from behind the backboard and a one-handed/one-legged free throw. However, Quigley made the behind-the-backboard shot and free throw before she eliminated him with a banked free throw of her own.

The semifinals and finals both air on Thursday, starting at 9 p.m. ET.

It wasn't exactly the showdown between LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard NBA fans have been looking forward to, but Trae Young and Deandre Ayton provided a potential Western Conference Finals preview in Thursday's NBA 2K Players Tournament battle.

Ayton, the No. 10 seed in the 16-player bracket, chose Leonard's L.A. Clippers and defeated the second-seeded Young 73-66 in the second-round matchup.

Players can only use a team once throughout the tournament, and both youngsters chose the Los Angeles powerhouses with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

Ayton wasted little time seizing momentum with the Clippers, jumping out to a double-digit lead in the first half behind triples from Paul George, Landry Shamet and Lou Williams. He put Young in comeback mode from the early going, but the Atlanta Hawks guard chipped away at the lead to set up the back-and-forth with James and Leonard.

After the Lakers pulled within three in the third quarter, Leonard unleashed three straight jumpers and a steal to push it back to 10.

From there, James threw down back-to-back-to-back dunks before Leonard answered with an and-1 slam of his own. Much like the actual games, the virtual Lakers and Clippers knew where to turn in the second half, and the King gave Young a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

While the two biggest stars put on a show in the third quarter, it was George who took it home for Ayton.

PG-13 swung the momentum with a key steal followed by an and-1 dunk in transition in the final three minutes and then mixed in a layup and critical free throws to create some much-needed separation in crunch time.

That was enough to push the Phoenix Suns big man into the next round.

Ayton will face the winner of the matchup between Patrick Beverley and Andre Drummond in the semifinals.

The NBA and NBA Players Association officially announced Thursday the eight participants who will take part in a televised HORSE competition next week:

Current NBA players Chris Paul, Trae Young, Zach LaVine and Mike Conley, former NBA stars Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce, current WNBA star Allie Quigley and WNBA legend Tamika Catchings will vie to be called the champion of the NBA HORSE Challenge.

The four quarterfinal matchups will air Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, and the two semifinals plus the final will air Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Paul, Young, LaVine and Conley are all active players who have performed at an All-Star level in recent years.

CP3 is the most accomplished among them, as the Oklahoma City Thunder star has 10 All-Star nods, nine NBA All-Defensive Team selections and four assist titles. Paul is likely destined for the Basketball Hall of Fame one day.

Young is only in his second NBA season as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, but he is a star in the making, as he is averaging 29.6 points and 9.3 assists per game and was named an All-Star starter this season.

BR Video

LaVine was arguably the NBA's biggest All-Star snub this season, as the Chicago Bulls guard is putting up 25.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest.

The 32-year-old Conley is in his first season with the Utah Jazz after spending the first 12 years of his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies. While Conley has never been named an All-Star, he is just one year removed from averaging a career-high 21.1 points per game.

Billups, 43, spent 17 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets. He is a five-time All-Star, one-time NBA champion and one-time NBA Finals MVP who often goes by the nickname Mr. Big Shot thanks to his penchant for coming through in the clutch.

The 42-year-old Pierce played 19 NBA seasons, 15 of those for the Boston Celtics along with stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. He was named an All-Star 10 times and, like Billups, is a one-time NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP. He ranks 15th in NBA history in scoring and is likely a future Hall of Famer.

Catchings, 40, was one of the most successful WNBA players of all time with 10 All-Star selections, one WNBA MVP, one WNBA championship and one WNBA Finals MVP to her credit. She is also a Basketball Hall of Famer.

Quigley is a guard for the Chicago Sky who has been named an All-Star three times and the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year twice. She also won the WNBA Three-Point Shootout twice, which makes her a major threat in the competition.

Given the way the bracket is laid out, a final such as Billups vs. Pierce or Young vs. Paul is possible. Young is likely the favorite to win the event since he has nearly unlimited shooting range and could potentially pull off some incredible shots.

With the 2019-20 NBA season suspended indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA and its partners are searching for compelling programming, and a HORSE competition should capture the interest of basketball fans who are starving for some action.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday afternoon that the NBA and ESPN "are finalizing plans to televise a HORSE competition" with the likes of Chris Paul, Zach LaVine and Trae Young expected to participate. 

But it seems that Young has one stipulation:

LaVine won back-to-back All-Star Dunk Contest trophies in 2015 and 2016:

However, the 25-year-old Chicago Bulls guard said last week he has retired from the dunk contest:

A televised HORSE competition would certainly be a new challenge.

Not to mention, Young has an advantage of his own over other shooters:

Wojnarowski added that other participants will include unnamed WNBA stars and "fairly recent NBA alumni," the competition will be filmed at each player's home to comply with isolation and social distancing protocols amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The NBA suspended its 2019-20 season on March 12.

The proposed competition of HORSE among NBA players is taking shape with Chris Paul, Trae Young and Zach LaVine among those expected to participate, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

WNBA players and recent NBA alumni will also enter the event, which will air on ESPN.

Wojnarowski first reported plans for the players to take part in HORSE at home gyms in isolation during the league's current suspension because of the coronavirus.

In a game of HORSE, players try to match each other's shots, which could be done in separate gyms as long as those involved can provide a live stream. However, Young did provide a bit of a stipulation for the contest:

LaVine is a two-time Slam Dunk contest champion and could easily win the event by replicating some of those throw downs. Young has never dunked in an NBA game, per Basketball Reference.

In any case, the contest would not only give fans something to watch while the league remains on hiatus, but it would also provide some entertainment for those participating.

Both Young and LaVine have posted videos to social media where they play basketball against their dogs:

Adding some human competition could be what these players need while social distancing.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young is setting his sights high.

Stephen Curry may be the greatest shooter in NBA history, but the second-year playmaker from the University of Oklahoma joked he will pass the Golden State Warriors playmaker as the best shooter in the league by next year.

Young said as much during an appearance on Shaquille O'Neal's podcast (h/t Twitter user Chris Montano) when pushed by the big man to predict how long it would take for Young to become a better shooter than Curry.

The Curry comparisons started for Young before he even entered the league as the No. 5 overall pick of the 2018 draft.

He rarely hesitates to pull up from well beyond the arc, can shoot off the dribble or penetrate through traffic, and is seemingly automatic when he catches fire during a game. Before the 2019-20 season went on hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, he was attempting 9.5 triples per game as Atlanta's primary scorer, facilitator and creator.

However, Young is only a career 34.4 percent three-point shooter.

By comparison, Curry is a career 43.5 percent shooter from deep and has never shot worse than 41.1 percent during a full campaign. Young has a small sample size with plenty of room for growth, but he also has a lot of making up to do if he's going to catch Curry.

Playing on the Hawks, who haven't won more than 29 games since the 2016-17 season, also makes things more difficult on Young because opposing defenses are always focusing their attention on him every time down the floor.

Curry has enjoyed the benefits of playing alongside another sharpshooter in Klay Thompson, another creator in Draymond Green and one of the best pure scorers in history in Kevin Durant.

Young has some ground to make up, but nobody can accuse him of setting small goals.

In his 17th NBA season, LeBron James looked well on his way toward leading the Los Angeles Lakers toward the Western Conference's No. 1 seed, putting L.A. in the driver's seat for the West's NBA Finals berth.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has suspended play as of March 11, bringing about a series of questions as to how the season may have played out if it's eventually canceled.

James and the Lakers have one backer in Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, who told former teammate Justin Anderson in an Instagram Live video Saturday that he had them going all the way:

It's not uncommon to see NBA players in their 17th campaign, but it's unusual to see such veterans dominate like James, who was leading the league with 10.6 assists per game. That's in addition to his 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals for the 49-14 Lakers.

James, 35, had also made his 16th consecutive All-Star Game and was considered a candidate for the league's MVP alongside Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

James is a four-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA champion.

Trae Young entered the NBA2K Player Tournament as the No. 2 seed and proved that might have been underselling his talents.

Young used the Milwaukee Bucks to thoroughly dominate No. 15 Harrison Barnes and the Toronto Raptors 101-59 in the first round Friday night.

This one was a mismatch from the start as Young opened up an 8-0 lead in the first few minutes of action to lead wire-to-wire. The closest Barnes was able to get to taking the lead was 13-8 late in the first quarter. To his credit, Barnes didn't rage quit even as defeat was all but assured. 

By halftime, Young had taken a 44-25 lead by shooting 50 percent from the field and tallying 16 points in 16 assists with Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

In the third quarter, it didn't matter who had to ball for the Bucks as Young continued to drain everything while clamping down on defense. The Atlanta Hawks star deployed a 3-2 zone off the opening tip and made jump shots nearly impossible for Barnes. 

Once Young went up by 30 in the third, Barnes started to change the topic on the stream. The Kings' forward pressed Young on how he was handling self-isolation. 

“Doing the same routine every day," Young replied. "Work out, swim, play video games. I have a little hoop out front I shoot on outside.” 

Young said the main reason he left Atlanta to stay at his home in Norman, Oklahoma, was because he didn't have a rim at his Georgia house. 

Not even the gentle conversation could distract Young from the game. He was still arguing calls and looking to challenge whistles late in the fourth quarter when he'd gone up by 40. 

From a strategic standpoint, Young's decision to use the Bucks in his first game may prove costly as he advances through the tournament. Players can choose between eight teams to play with but cannot repeat teams they use as they pass through the rounds, meaning Young can no longer play with the Bucks.

By the end of the match, Barnes wasn't in much of a talking mood anymore. 

"No comment on this one," Barnes said as time expired.