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NBA G League

Fourth Annual NBA Development League All-Stars Unveiled

February 2, 2010 - NBA G League (G League) News Release


NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2010 - Twelve players with NBA experience highlight the rosters for the fourth annual NBA D-League All-Star Game, which will be played on Saturday, Feb. 13 at NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. CT on Jam Session's Center Court and will be shown live on NBA TV.

Twenty of the NBA D-League's top prospects were selected to be All-Stars by a combination of fan balloting on nba.com/dleague and voting by the league's 16 head coaches. The two 10-man teams will be divided by conference with the West team playing host to the East team in Dallas. Players who have been selected by coaches and fans must be on an active NBA D-League roster to compete in the NBA D-League All-Star game.

The West Team will be coached by Iowa head coach Nick Nurse and his assistant Nate Bjorkgren, who make a second appearance as NBA D-League All-Star coaches following a trip to Phoenix for 2009 NBA D-League All-Star festivities. The East team will be coached by Rio Grande Valley head coach Chris Finch and his assistant Paul Mokeski. Both coaching staffs were selected based on their teams having the highest winning percentage by Jan. 26. Prior to the game Finch and Nurse will choose starting lineups for their respective teams.

"The NBA D-League All-Star game is not only a fantastic opportunity for the fans in Dallas to see an exceptionally talented group of NBA prospects compete in person," said Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel for the NBA D-League. "It is also a great chance for our players to showcase their skills for NBA team personnel who will gather for the All-Star festivities."

A pair of Austin Toros, Alonzo Gee and Dwayne Jones, and a trio of Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Antonio Anderson, Joey Dorsey, and Mike Harris will make Texas fans proud when they travel to Dallas to headline the West team. Jones, a veteran from St. Joseph's (PA), has played in 80 NBA games, and leads the NBA D-League with 15.3 rebounds per game and field goal percentage (62 percent), while Gee, a rookie out of Alabama, is sixth in the league in scoring (21.0 ppg). Rice product Harris, who earned the season's second GATORADE Call-Up on Dec. 23, 2009 when he signed with the Houston Rockets, has ranked among the league's leaders since returning to the Vipers in early January. He is second in the league with 26.5 points per game, and fourth in the league in rebounds (9.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (59 percent). Anderson, a guard out of Memphis, ranks second on the Vipers with 15.7 points per game, was named NBA D-League Player of the Month for December, 2009, when he averaged 18.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 10 games for the Vipers. Fellow Memphis product Dorsey, currently playing with the Rockets, was assigned from Houston to the Vipers Nov. 13, 2009 before being recalled on Jan. 13, averaged 14.9 points and 13.3 rebounds in 16 games with Rio Grande Valley.

Three additional GATORADE Call-Ups, and two current NBA players, Sundiata Gaines (Idaho/Utah Jazz), Dontell Jefferson (Utah Flash), and Anthony Tolliver (Idaho/Golden State Warriors), round out the West team's roster. Jefferson, a former Arkansas Razorback who was called-up to the Charlotte Bobcats during the 2008-09 season, currently leads Utah with 18.0 points and 5.7 assists per game. A Georgia product, Gaines, who was called-up to the Utah Jazz from Idaho on Jan. 5, signed for the remainder of the season on Jan. 25. Tolliver, his teammate in Idaho and a Creighton graduate, returned to the NBA on Jan. 17, when he signed with the Golden State Warriors. He was also called-up to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier in the season.

Four of the NBA D-League's leaders, Alexis Ajinca (Maine), Morris Almond (Springfield), Rob Kurz (Fort Wayne) and Curtis Stinson (Iowa), highlight the visiting East team. France's Ajinca, on assignment from Charlotte to Maine is currently second in the league with 3.1 blocks per game. Almond, a guard out of Rice, returns to NBA D-League All-Star festivities, having been selected as an NBA D-League All-Star in New Orleans in 2008 while on assignment from the Jazz to the Flash, is second in the league with 27.0 points per game. Kurz, who played 40 games for the Warriors during the 2008-09 season and is a graduate of Notre Dame, is second in the NBA D-League with 10.9 rebounds per game for Fort Wayne. Stinson, an Iowa State product, leads the league with 9.9 assists per game for league-leading Iowa.

Eight additional NBA D-League standouts will compete in the 2010 NBA D-League All-Star game, including West team members Mustafa Shakur (Tulsa), who leads his team with 19.6 points per game and ranks fifth in the league in both assists and steals following his career at Arizona and South Carolina product Carlos Powell (Albuquerque), who will play in his second NBA D-League All-Star game, having participated in New Orleans in 2008. The East team will also include first-time NBA D-League All-Stars Alade Aminu (Erie), Earl Barron (Iowa), Trey Gilder (Maine), Ron Howard (Fort Wayne) and Reggie Williams (Sioux Falls). Cartier Martin (Iowa) also makes his first NBA D-League All-Star appearance. He was selected as an NBA D-League All-Star last season, but earned a GATORADE Call-Up to Charlotte and did not participate in the game.

For more information on the NBA D-League, log onto nba.com/dleague.

About NBA All-Star Jam Session

NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas features over 11 acres of NBA All-Star excitement, where the chance to meet and collect free autographs from NBA Players and Legends is just the beginning. Jam Session is non-stop basketball action! Fans can shoot, slam, dribble and drive all day, compete against their friends in skills challenges, and score game changing tips from NBA Players and Legends. Young fans can hang out at Kids Zone - with hoops and interactive activities that are the perfect size for kids' slam dunks, three-pointers and jump shots. Fans can visit the 10,000 square-foot NBA Store that has more NBA All-Star 2010 merchandise then anywhere else. For fans who want NBA Entertainment, Jam Session features the NBA's favorite players, celebrities, mascots and dance teams as they hit Center Court in a variety of basketball competitions, including the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by FINAL FANTASY XIII and the NBA All-Star Practice. NBA All-Star Jam Session when it's even big for Texas....you gotta BE THERE!

About the NBA Development League:

The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA's official minor league whose teams have direct affiliations to NBA franchises. For the 2009-10 season, the league will feature 16 teams - including the debut of the Maine Red Claws and the Springfield Armor. A proven developer of talent, 20 percent of players in the NBA at the conclusion of the 2008-09 season boasted NBA D-League experience, while the league continues to develop coaches, referees, and front office staff for the NBA and its teams. In fostering the league's connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. The NBA D-League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout the season fans can watch all NBA D-League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.

The complete 2010 NBA D-League All-Star teams are listed below.

EAST ALL-STAR ROSTER

Pos. Player (Team) Ht. Wt. Birthdate College

G Morris Almond (Springfield) 6-5 210 2/2/1985 Rice

G Ron Howard (Fort Wayne) * 6-5 200 11/14/1982 Valparaiso

G Curtis Stinson (Iowa) 6-3 215 2/15/1983 Iowa State

G Reggie Williams (Sioux Falls) 6-6 210 9/14/1986 VMI

F Alade Aminu (Erie) 6-10 235 9/14/1987 Georgia Tech.

F Trey Gilder (Maine) 6-9 185 1/24/1985 Northwestern State

F Rob Kurz (Fort Wayne) 6-9 230 3/5/1985 Notre Dame

F Cartier Martin (Iowa) 6-7 220 11/20/1984 Kansas State

C Alexis Ajinca (Maine) 7-0 220 5/6/1988 St. Etienne, France

C Earl Barron (Iowa) 6-11 230 8/14/1981 Memphis

Head Coach: Nick Nurse (Iowa)

Assistant Coach: Nate Bjorkgren (Iowa)

Athletic Trainer: Tim Moran (Iowa)

WEST ALL-STAR ROSTER

Pos. Player (Team) Ht. Wt. Birthdate College

G Antonio Anderson (Rio Grande Valley) 6-6 215 6/5/1985 Memphis

G Sundiata Gaines (Idaho) # 6-1 195 4/18/1986 Georgia

G Dontell Jefferson (Utah) 6-5 190 12/15/1983 Arkansas

G Mustafa Shakur (Tulsa) 6-3 190 8/18/1984 Arizona

F Alonzo Gee (Austin) 6-6 220 5/29/1987 Alabama

F Mike Harris (Rio Grande Valley) 6-6 235 6/15/1983 Rice

F Carlos Powell (Albuquerque) 6-7 225 8/29/1983 South Carolina

F Anthony Tolliver (Idaho )# 6-9 240 6/1/1985 Creighton

C Joey Dorsey (Rio Grande Valley )# 6-9 265 12/16/1983 Memphis

C Dwayne Jones (Austin) 6-11 250 6/9/1983 St. Joseph's (PA)

Head Coach: Chris Finch (Rio Grande Valley)

Assistant Coach: Paul Mokeski (Rio Grande Valley)

Athletic Trainer: Joe Resendez (Rio Grande Valley)

* - Indicates an injured player

# - Indicates a player currently in the NBA

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