The official pairings for the first-ever NBA HORSE Challenge were revealed on Thursday.
Former Oklahoma star Trae Young, is one of the biggest players in the challenge, will be facing former NBA star Chauncey Billups. Other matchups include Tamika Catchings versus Mike Conley, Zach LaVine versus Paul Pierce, and Oklahoma City All-Star Chris Paul versus Allie Quigley.
Young is one of the fastest rising stars in professional basketball. After averaging 27.4 points per game and 8.7 assists per game in his lone season with Oklahoma, Young was drafted fifth overall by the Mavericks in the 2018 draft, but was immediately traded to the Hawks in exchange for Luka Doncic.
Young averaged 19.1 ppg in his rookie season, shooting 42% from the field and adding 8.1 apg onto that. He saw vast improvement in just his second season. He’s now averaging 29.6 ppg, which is fourth overall in the NBA at the age of just 21. He’s also dishing out 9.3 apg, which is second only to LeBron James.
The HORSE Challenge be aired on ESPN and will begin April 12 at 6 p.m. The participants will be separated into two groups, and the winners will move on to the championship round. The semifinals will air on April 16 at 8 p.m.