Following news that the NBA is starting to lean towards completely cancelling the 2019-20 season, we got some intriguing rumours to ease some of the worries. The league is reportedly working with ESPN to hold a televised H-O-R-SE competition, and a handful of big names may be in play.
Here’s ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski breaking the news:
The NBA and ESPN are working on televising a H-O-R-S-E competition involving several high-profile players, sources say. Players would shoot in isolation – presumably in home gyms – and match shots against competitors. Details are still being finalized.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 4, 2020
The would-be collaboration could provide a big financial lift for both companies. The NBA and ESPN are losing a ton of money due to the lack of live action, particularly the former, whose losses may reach up to $1 billion or higher.
The coming weeks will still be a nail-biter, but the plan is at least a continuous sign that the league is making efforts to entertain fans, and that players are still more than ready to compete despite the health risks. This is one of the many ideas that they have come up since the hiatus, which already includes the players-only NBA 2K competition that started days ago.
Just minutes after Woj’s tweet, Andrew Marchand of The New York Post reported that hotshot rookie Zion Williamson, as well as All-Star guards Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Donovan Mitchell are interested in joining. Heck, retired legend Paul Pierce is ready too.
Names I've heard that could be involved are Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Donovan Mitchell & possibly Zion Williamson. None are confirmed yet. https://t.co/fFcdqD08vu
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) April 4, 2020
Mitchell and Utah Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert, as you know, are among the first NBA players to test positive for coronavirus, and both have been cleared of the virus this past week. Gobert’s case was the first to be confirmed and it led to the indefinite suspension of games on March 12th.
The NBA has held HORSE games before, with the most recent being 10 years ago during the 2010 All-Star Weekend.
One of the more classic matches, however, will take you back to the 1970s. NBA Hall-of-Famer and one of the greatest showmen in league history, ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich, starred in those competitions.
The league has great supply of flashy players and trick shot artists, and if this one pushes through, they should be able to show-off the way Pistol Pete did. With a guy like Zion Williamson possibly on deck, it might be a modified Slam Dunk contest too.
