4 Ideas Better Than The NBA HORSE Challenge

1. Jordan vs LeBron in HORSE

As outlandish as it sounds, a game of HORSE might be the only way to have MJ and LeBron actually compete in some form. I don’t really see any reason why this couldn’t be pulled off if both parties were willing to do it, especially if it were dedicated to a charity or relief fund. This is a surefire ratings hit in any social climate, but I would bet that a huge number of people who wouldn’t typically watch would tune in because of The Last Dance’s popularity. Additionally, LeBron and MJ can’t be particularly busy during quarantine as we can infer from the James family TikToks and MJ’s frequent PR activity.

2. Player Commentaries

Taking a page from Florida’s premier essential business, the WWE, players could rewatch their classic games and provide insights on specific moments throughout the game. WWE’s version of this includes all participants of the match discussing the numerous maneuvers taking place and the events that led up to them. The NBA could have fun with the format by potentially including the in-game commentators or opposing players in the rewatch. We’ve seen other leagues produce similar content in the Nationals (MLB) and Bruins’ (NHL) online rewatch of classic games through Zoom calls with the entire team. I’d love to see Steph Curry and legendary commentator Mike Breen reliving the classic Warriors vs Thunder regular season game from 2016 or Dirk and his 2011 Mavs supporting cast rewatch the iconic game 7 vs the Spurs. This is an idea that the NBA can go crazy with and the possibilities are endless. Maybe we see LeBron and JR Smith watching Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals or the ‘97 Bulls capitalizing on The Last Dance’s success and discussing Jordan’s last game as a Bull. Neither of those will ever happen, but in the world of hypotheticals anything is possible. Kevin Garnett would be proud.

3. Dunk Contest/3pt Contest

This seems like the most obvious choice and probably the easiest to pull off. Take a few players with full size courts and run the standard events shown on All Star Saturday Night. This is a fairly safe choice as most viewers will already be familiar with the rules but the safest bet is often the best one. The prospect of the contests being virtual allows for the inclusion of players who typically wouldn’t compete in the live show such as Russell Westbrook or old school competitors like Ray Allen or Nate Robinson.

4. Fantasy Draft

A zero stakes fantasy draft has proven to be an entertaining program when Inside The NBA tried it in 2011. The key to maintaining viewership in such a meaningless exercise is to focus on the personalities drafting their teams rather than the players drafted. Inside The NBA sported a charismatic cast consisting of former players Kevin McHale, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Steve Kerr, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkely who infamously selected Allen Iverson with the first pick in the draft. The banter between these men makes the entire show worthwhile and it could easily be replicable with a more modern cast of personalities. The draft could specify a particular era or operate under a set of limiting rules so that we don’t see the typical MJ-LeBron-Kareem fodder. This idea is my personal favorite, mostly because the original 2011 draft will always hold a special place in my heart as it introduced me to countless NBA stars and I formulated most of my opinions on them based solely on their draft position.

To restate my previous point, none of these will ever happen. I’d even doubt that we see another NBA program until the season returns. Sad times we live in.

Image Credit: Inside The NBA on TNT