Paul to Represent Hornets on All-Star Friday Night

January 31, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY - The NBA announced today that guard Chris Paul was selected to the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be held on Friday, February 16 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas during All-Star Weekend.

“It’s an honor for me to represent the Hornets organization and our great fans in New Orleans and Oklahoma City at one of the NBA’s showcase events,” said Paul. “Being a part of the All-Star festivities last season was an unforgettable experience and I’m looking forward to enjoying this year’s events in Las Vegas.”

Paul, who had eight points to go along with game-highs of 11 assists and five steals for the rookies last season, will try to lead the sophomores to their fifth straight win. He has averaged 18.4 points and 9.0 assists in 27 games with the Hornets this season but has missed the last 17 games with a severely sprained right ankle.

Joining Paul on the sophomore team will be Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks, Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers, Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors, Raymond Felton of the Charlotte Bobcats, Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers, Luther Head of the Houston Rockets, David Lee of the New York Knicks and Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz.

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 leadassistants 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.