(TORONTO - January 30, 2008) -- Raptors forwards Andrea Bargnani and Jamario Moon have been selected to play in the 2008 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam during the NBA All-Star Weekend. Overall, there were nine rookies and nine sophomore players chosen to compete in the game on Friday, February 15 at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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 2008 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs.

Through 40 games this season, Bargnani is averaging 8.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 22.6 minutes. He currently ranks 10th in scoring among qualified sophomores, ninth in rebounding and ninth in minutes.

The first overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft has started in 27 games and is averaging 10.7 points and 4.4 rebounds as a starter. Bargnani set a career-high November 30, 2007 when he scored 26 points against Cleveland. He surpassed his rookie scoring high of 23 points a second time with a 25-point performance January 4 vs. Detroit. As a starter for the Rookie Team last season, Bargnani scored 12 points in 23 minutes.

Moon has appeared in 40 games for the Raptors this season, averaging 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 29.0 minutes. He currently ranks first among qualified rookies in steals (1.0), second in rebounds (6.2), second in blocks (1.53) and third in minutes (29.0). Moon scored a career-high 17 points January 23 at New York and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds December 1 at Washington.

Moon, who signed as a free-agent in July 2007 after attending the team’s free agent camp, joins Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, Tracy McGrady, Morris Peterson, Chris Bosh, Charlie Villanueva and Andrea Bargnani as Raptor rookies selected to compete in the event. Moon was also invited to compete in the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk during All-Star Weekend.

Bargnani is joined on the Sophomore team by last season’s T-Mobile Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers. Also selected for the Sophomore team are LeMarcus Aldridge (Portland), Ronnie Brewer (Utah), Jordan Farmar (L.A. Lakers), Rudy Gay (Memphis), Daniel Gibson (Cleveland), Paul Millsap (Utah) and Rajon Rondo (Boston).

Moon is joined on the Rookie team by Mike Conley (Memphis), Kevin Durant (Seattle), Jeff Green (Seattle), Al Horford (Atlanta), Juan Carlos Navarro (Memphis), Luis Scola (Houston), Sean Williams (New Jersey) and Yi Jianlian (Milwaukee).

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

This is the ninth year of the rookie-sophomore format, with the Sophomores leading the series 6-2. The game will be played in two 20-minute halves, with each team allowed one full timeout and one 20-second timeout per 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.