Utah Jazz guard Ronnie Brewer and Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap join a list 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.

In addition to the pair of Jazz teammates, the Sophomore team includes Portland forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge, Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson, Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, Memphis Grizzlies forward/guard Rudy Gay, Toronto Raptors forward and the first overall selection in the 2006 NBA Draft Andrea Bargnani.

The Rookie team features Seattle's Jeff Green at forward, 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.

As title partner of the Rookie Challenge and overall NBA Rookie Program, T-Mobile has teamed up with the NBA and NBA Cares to create the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for New Orleans students to experience NBA All-Star 2008. By successfully completing reading and attendance requirements, more than 5,000 “T-Mobile Huddle-Up All-Stars,” grades 6-8, from participating school districts in New Orleans will watch the game from the best seats in the house and fill the lower bowl of the New Orleans Arena. T-Mobile Huddle Up is T-Mobile’s community relations program that focuses on connecting kids, primarily from single parent families, across the country to positive people, places and programs.

If any rookie or second-year player is selected to play in the All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 17, he also will play in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday evening.

As with all of this year's All-Star participants, Roy, Durant and the rest of the 2008 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam participants will join over 2,500 members of the NBA Family for the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service on Friday, Feb. 15. The volunteers will participate in a variety of service projects at 10 different sites throughout New Orleans.

In last year’s T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, New York Knicks forward David Lee earned Most Valuable Player honors after shooting 14-for-14 from the field and scoring 30 points to lead the sophomores to a 155-114 victory over the Rookies, their fifth straight Rookie Challenge victory. Golden State guard Monta Ellis added 28 points for the Sophomores. Memphis’ Gay and Utah’s Millsap each scored 22 for the Rookies.

The contest began its current format pitting the Rookies against the Sophomores in 2000 and the Sophomores hold a 6-2 advantage over the first year players. The game will be played in two 20-minute halves, with each team allowed one full timeout and one 20-second timeout per half. There will be one mandatory television timeout in each half. Individual foul totals will be kept, but a player cannot foul out. A team will be in the penalty situation after 10 team fouls or after the second foul in the final two minutes of each half. In the event of a tie game, there will be a two-minute overtime to determine the winner. The Clock will stop after each successful field goal in the last minute of each half.

For the fourth consecutive year, NBA.com will provide basketball fans with the opportunity to have their vote count toward selecting the MVP of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, as part of the site's exclusive NBA All-Star 2008 coverage.

The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 17, will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EST. The game will also be telecast in over 200 countries and broadcast on NBA.com.

NBA All-Star brings together the top NBA players and performers for a week of competition, community service and world-class entertainment. Among the many other exciting All-Star events are Sprite Slam Dunk, Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, PlayStation® Skills Challenge, Haier Shooting Stars and NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas.

Below are the rosters for the 2008 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam:

ROOKIE TEAM ROSTER

Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
Mike Conley Memphis G 6-1 180 Ohio State
Kevin Durant Seattle G 6-9 215 Texas
Jeff Green Seattle F 6-9 235 Georgetown
Al Horford Atlanta F-C 6-10 245 Florida
Jamario Moon Toronto G-F 6-8 205 Meridian CC (Miss.)
Juan Carlos Navarro Memphis G 6-3 170 Spain
Luis Scola Houston F-C 6-9 245 Argentina
Sean Williams New Jersey F-C 6-10 235 Boston College
Yi Jianlian Milwaukee F 7-0 238 China
Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – TBD

SOPHOMORE TEAM ROSTER

Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
LaMarcus Aldridge Portland F-C 6-11 245 Texas
Andrea Bargnani Toronto F 7-0 250 Italy
Ronnie Brewer Utah G-F 6-7 233 Arkansas
Jordan Farmar L.A. Lakers G 6-2 180 UCLA
Rudy Gay Memphis G 6-9 220 Connecticut
Daniel Gibson Cleveland G 6-2 194 Texas
Paul Millsap Utah F 6-8 258 Louisiana Tech
Rajon Rondo Boston G 6-1 171 Kentucky
Brandon Roy Portland G 6-6 229 Washington
Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – TBD

PREVIOUS T-MOBILE ROOKIE CHALLENGE RESULTS

1994 - Phenoms 74, Sensations 68
1995 - White 83, Green 79 (OT)
1996 - East 94, West 92
1997 - East 96, West 91
1998 - East 85, West 80
2000 - Rookies 92, Sophomores 81 (OT)
2001 - Sophomores 121, Rookies 113
2002 - Rookies 103, Sophomores 97
2003 - Sophomores 132, Rookies 112
2004 - Sophomores 142, Rookies 118
2005 - Sophomores 133, Rookies 106
2006 - Sophomores 106, Rookies 96
2007 – Sophomores 155, Rookies 114