Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, the first overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft, and Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, the first overall selection in the 2002 NBA Draft, lead a list of 18 players selected to play in the 2004 got milk? Rookie Challenge on Friday, Feb. 13 in Los Angeles' STAPLES Center.
The participants in the got milk? Rookie Challenge were selected by a panel of 11 former NBA players and coaches who currently work as broadcasters covering the league.
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James |
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Yao |
James is joined on the rookie team by Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets, Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors, Udonis Haslem and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, Jarvis Hayes of the Washington Wizards, Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls, Josh Howard of the Dallas Mavericks and Chris Kaman of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Yao will be joined on the Sophomore team by Carlos Boozer of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mike Dunleavy of the Golden State Warriors, Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs, Marko Jaric of the Los Angeles Clippers, Ronald Murray of the Seattle SuperSonics, Nenê of the Denver Nuggets, Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons and 2002-03 got milk? Rookie of the Year, Amaré Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns.
Longtime coach Doug Collins and Los Angeles Sparks head coach and Lakers legend Michael Cooper have been selected as Head Coaches for the game. They will be assisted by NBA Legends Byron Scott and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
If a rookie or second-year player is selected to play in the All-Star Game on Sunday, he will also play in the got milk? Rookie Challenge on Friday evening.
This year's game features four international players: Yao (China), Ginobili (Argentina), Jaric (Serbia-Montenegro) and Nenê (Brazil).
This is the fifth year under the current rookie-versus-sophomore format, with the series knotted at two games a piece. 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 can not 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.
For the first time, NBA.com will provide basketball fans with the opportunity to have their vote count toward selecting the MVP of the got milk? Rookie Challenge, as part of the site's exclusive NBA All-Star 2004 coverage.
The got milk? Milk Mustache campaign is sponsoring the NBA Rookie platform to highlight the importance of milk's bone-building calcium and eight other essential nutrients for active people, teens especially, who add about 15 percent of their height during these years. The platform includes the 'got milk?' Rookie Challenge, the 'got milk?' Rookie of the Month awards, the 'got milk?' Rookie of the Year award and the 'got milk?' All-Rookie Team.
ROOKIE TEAM ROSTER
| Player | Team | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | College/Country |
| Carmelo Anthony | Denver | F | 6-8 | 230 | Syracuse |
| Chris Bosh | Toronto | F | 6-10 | 225 | Georgia Tech |
| Udonis Haslem | Miami | F | 6-8 | 230 | Florida |
| LeBron James | Cleveland | G | 6-8 | 258 | St. Vincent-St. Mary HS |
| Jarvis Hayes | Washington | G/F | 6-7 | 220 | Georgia |
| Kirk Hinrich | Chicago | G | 6-3 | 186 | Kansas |
| Josh Howard | Dallas | F | 6-5 | 210 | Wake Forest |
| Chris Kaman | L.A. Clippers | C | 7-0 | 268 | Central Michigan |
| Dwyane Wade | Miami | G | 6-4 | 212 | Marquette |
SOPHOMORE TEAM ROSTER
| Player | Team | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | College/Country |
| Carlos Boozer | Cleveland | F | 6-8 | 258 | Duke |
| Mike Dunleavy | Golden State | F | 6-8 | 230 | Duke |
| Manu Ginobili | San Antonio | F | 6-6 | 210 | Argentina |
| Marko Jaric | L.A. Clippers | G | 6-7 | 217 | Serbia-Montenegro |
| Ronald Murray | Seattle | G | 6-3 | 197 | Shaw |
| Nenê | Denver | F | 6-11 | 260 | Brazil |
| Tayshaun Prince | Detroit | F | 6-9 | 215 | Kentucky |
| Amaré Stoudemire | Phoenix | F | 6-10 | 245 | Cypress Creek HS |
| Yao Ming | Houston | C | 7-5 | 296 | China |
PREVIOUS got milk? 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
