Getty Trae Young and Chris Paul are two of the stars in the NBA Horse competition.
NBA stars Trae Young, Zach LaVine, Mike Conley Jr. and others will compete in a HORSE tournament as the sports world looks to find alternate forms of competition in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The tournament begins Sunday at 7 p.m. ET and will conclude with the semis and championship on April 16 at 9 p.m. ET. It will all be televised on ESPN.
If you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch the HORSE tournament on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV Stick, or other streaming device:
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Watch ESPN on Hulu With Live TV
ESPN and ESPN2 are both included in Hulu With Live TV, which comes with 60-plus live TV channels and Hulu’s extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the NBA HORSE Tournament live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app. You can also watch on the ESPN app if you sign in using your Hulu credentials.
Watch ESPN on Sling TV
Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” package comes with 32 channels, including ESPN and ESPN2. It costs $20 for the first month ($30 per month after that), which makes Sling the cheapest streaming service with the ESPN channels if you plan on keeping it long term:
Or, as part of a special deal that Sling is currently offering, you can get a free Amazon Fire TV Stick if you prepay for two months:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the NBA HORSE Tournament live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app. You can also watch on the ESPN app if you sign in using your Sling credentials.
NBA HORSE Tournament Preview
In an effort to fill the void in a sports-less world, the NBA has put together a HORSE competition with current players, WNBA stars and former players.
The participants include: Thunder guard Chris Paul, Hawks guard Trae Young, Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr., Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Allie Quigley of the Chicago Sky, retired NBA players Paul Pierce and Chauncey Billiups, and Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings.
It’s just like old times in the driveway, just with bigger stakes. State Farm plans to donate more than $200,000 on behalf of the participants to charities focused on coronavirus response efforts.
Here are some of the rules and details of how the contest will work, via the official NBA site:
NBA HORSE Challenge Presented by State Farm participants will be divided into two groups of four, with the winners of the first two games in each group meeting in the semifinals. The winner from each group will move on to the championship round. ESPN will present the four quarterfinal games on Sunday. The semifinals and the championship game will air on Thursday, April 16, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
A coin toss at the start of each game will determine who shoots first, with the more senior player calling heads or tails. Players must describe each shot attempt, specifying the type of score they intend to make before taking a shot, such as a bank shot or swish. Dunking is prohibited. The first player in each game to accumulate the letters “H-O-R-S-E” after failing to match five shots is eliminated.
The first round matchup are: Trae Young vs. Chauncey Billups; Tamika Catchings vs. Mike Conley Jr.; Zach LaVine vs. Paul Pierce; and Chris Paul vs. Allie Quigley. The semifinals and championship will be held on Thursday.
Here are the odds to win the tournament, via Bovada.
- Trae Young +200
- Chris Paul +285
- Zach LaVine +400
- Mike Conley Jr. +450
- Paul Pierce +600
- Chauncey Billups +900
- Allie Quigley +1100
- Tamika Catchings +1600
This isn’t the first experiment by the league to bring eyes to the game during the coronavirus quarantine. The off-court activities started last week with a NBA2K tournament. Suns guard Devin Booker, who entered the tournament as the favorite, took home the title on Saturday, besting his Phoenix teammate Deandre Ayton.