February 1, 2008

MEDIA ADVISORY

DURANT NAMED ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Sonics guard receives award for January

Sonics guard Kevin Durant today was named the Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month for games played for the month of January.

Among rookie qualifiers, for the third straight month, Durant ranked first in the league in scoring with 19.4 points per game, and seventh in rebounding with 4.0. In addition, he is ranked first on the team in assists (2.4 avg.) and free throw percentage (88.6%), as well as third in field goals (40.0%). Durant was also selected to compete in the 2008 NBA All-Star T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam.

Here is a recap of the month for Durant:

Kevin Durant, Seattle SuperSonics
Jan. 3 @ Phoenix:  Tallied 28 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in a 104-96 loss to the Suns.
Jan. 16 @ New Orleans: Recorded 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the 123-92 loss to the Hornets.
Jan. 29 vs. San Antonio: Registered 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists in an 88-85 win over the Spurs.
Jan. 31 vs. Cleveland: Posted 24 points, three rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in a 101-95 win over the loss to the Cavaliers

The Toronto Raptors’ Jamario Moon was named the Eastern Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month for games played for the month of December. Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month were Atlanta’s Al Horford, Houston’s Luis Scola, Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young, Memphis’ Juan Carlos Navarro and Mike Conley, and New Jersey’s Sean Williams.

For every point scored by the players named the T-Mobile Rookie of the Month, T-Mobile will donate $20 to the New Orleans Recovery School District. This month T-Mobile will donate $2,260 on behalf of Moon and $5,820 on behalf of Durant. This philanthropic component is new to the T-Mobile Rookie Program and builds on T-Mobile’s strong appeal to the nation’s youth as the official wireless partner of the NBA. Other highlights of T-Mobile’s partnership with the NBA include the T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, T-Mobile Rookie of the Month Awards, and the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, an All-Star competition between NBA rookies and second-year players. During NBA All-Star 2008, T-Mobile Huddle Up and NBA Cares will host more than 5,000 local students in the lower bowl of the arena to watch this year’s Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam.