Allie Quigley, Tamika Catchings To Represent WNBA In NBA HORSE Challenge

If one must narrow it down to two players, past and present, to represent the entire WNBA in a quarantine-friendly game of HORSE, 3-point whiz Allie Quigley and Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings are two strong choices.

Announced Thursday, the NBA HORSE Challenge begins Sunday, April 12 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and will feature Catchings, Quigley and six current and former NBA players in the quarterfinals. The semifinals and final will take place Thursday, April 16.

MORE FROM FORBESNBA Announces First-Ever HORSE Challenge Beginning April 12

While the names on the men’s side are impressive to be sure, two exceedingly decorated WNBA players are waiting to meet them.

Quigley, an 11-year WNBA veteran who has played for the Chicago Sky since 2013, has appeared in each of the last three All-Star Games and earned her first start last season. Perhaps more impressively, the guard won the 2017 and 2018 Three-Point Contests — and her 29 points in 2018 remains the all-time record for the WNBA or NBA.

Though she didn’t defend her Three-Point Contest title in 2019, Quigley still put together a career season. For the first time, she started all 34 games — as well as Chicago’s two playoff games — and shot 44.2% from 3-point range on a career-best 80 makes, which led the league. (She also shot 49.3% overall from the floor and 87% from the free throw line, for good measure.)

After bouncing around the league for her first few seasons, Quigley coming to Chicago meant finally earning quality minutes. She’s missed just a handful of games since joining the Sky, and before becoming a regular starter in 2017 was twice named the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year.

Catchings, who was recently elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, spent all 15 of her WNBA seasons with the Indiana Fever. Among the forward’s many accomplishments are 10 All-Star appearances, the 2011 MVP award and the 2012 WNBA championship. She also won four Olympic gold medals with Team USA from 2004 to 2016, the last year she played.

A career 41.5% shooter, Catchings retired as the WNBA’s second-leading scorer, while her 84% free throw shooting contributed to her ending her career with the league’s most made free throws (2,004). She averaged at least 12.7 points per game every season she played.

Catchings was best known for her defense, though, as she was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year a record five times. She remains the career leader in steals, more than 300 clear of the next-closest player.

As she’s currently at her peak, Quigley has emerged as an early HORSE Challenge favorite among WNBA fans. Her wife and teammate Courtney Vandersloot even called out her quarterfinals opponent, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul:

As the sports world adjusts to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inclusion of WNBA talent in the HORSE Challenge provides a natural lead-in to yet another live sporting event next week: the WNBA Draft on Friday, April 17.

While Quigley will wait to see who her Sky select in the draft, Catchings’ job is a bit more hands-on: she’s making the picks for her team as the Fever’s general manager, including No. 3 overall.

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