February 01, 2008

MEDIA ADVISORY

DURANT SELECTED FOR 2008 T-MOBILE ROOKIE CHALLENGE

Sonics guard Kevin Durant and Sonics forward Jeff Green today were two of 18 players selected for the 2008 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday, Feb. 15 in New Orleans.

The participants in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot. The head coaches for the Rookie and Sophomore teams will be the lead assistants from the 2007 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs.

The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam will be televised live nationally on TNT and also will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio, while NBA.com will make live audio available to fans in multiple languages.

The Rookie team features Seattle’s Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, as well as Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford, Houston Rockets forward/center Luis Scola, Memphis Grizzlies guards Mike Conley and Juan Carlos Navarro, Milwaukee Bucks forward Yi Jianlian, New Jersey Nets forward/center Sean Williams, and Toronto Raptors forward/guard and former D-Leaguer Jamario Moon, also a participant in the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk competition.

Durant leads the Sonics in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game, which is also the highest scoring average by all NBA rookies. Green is averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game – sixth best among all rookies in both categories.