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In addition to Payton, Earl Boykins of the Denver Nuggets, Baron Davis of the New Orleans Hornets and Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks will participate.
Payton, a nine-time All-Star, averages 14.6 points and 6.1 assists per game this season, and is two steals away from surpassing Clyde Drexler as the fifth all-time leader in steals. Davis, an Eastern Conference All-Star, is averaging an impressive 23.3 points and 7.9 assists per game this season.
Marbury, averaging 20.1 points and 8.7 assists per game, remains the only player in NBA history, besides Oscar Robertson, with a career average of at least 20 points and eight assists.
Rounding out the talented cast is Boykins, known as the NBA's shortest player. Standing at 5-5, Boykins has posted his best season to date this year, averaging 10.7 points and 4.0 assists per game.
The 989 Sports Skills Challenge will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by America Online and will also feature the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk and RadioShack Shooting Stars. TNT and ESPN Radio will begin their national coverage at 8 p.m. ET from STAPLES Center.
The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 will be live on TNT, Rogers Sportsnet and ESPN Radio at 8 p.m. ET. The game will also be telecast in 212 countries and broadcast in 12 languages on NBA.com.
989 SPORTS SKILLS CHALLENGE
| Player | Team | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. |
| Earl Boykins | Denver Nuggets | G | 5-5 | 133 |
| Baron Davis | New Orleans Hornets | G | 6-3 | 223 |
| Stephon Marbury | New York Knicks | G | 6-2 | 205 |
| Gary Payton | Los Angeles Lakers | G | 6-4 | 180 |
