NEW YORK -- Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies head a list of 18 players selected to play in the NBA Rookie Challenge game.

Yao, the No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, might have to pass up the game. He is the leading vote-getter for the Western Conference centers in the latest All-Star balloting, and any player selected for that game will not play in the Rookie Challenge.

A record six international players were chosen for the rookie game to be played Feb. 8 at Atlanta as part of the league's All-Star Weekend. The others are Memphis' Gordan Giricek (Croatia). Denver's Nene Hilario (Brazil), Utah's Andrei Kirilenko (Russia) and San Antonio's Tony Parker (France).

Giricek, Hilario and Yao are on the rookie team roster with Chicago's Jay Williams, Cleveland's Carlos Boozer and Dajuan Wagner, Miami's Caron Butler, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire and Memphis' Drew Gooden.

The second-year team includes Gasol, last season's Rookie of the Year, Kirilenko, and Parker, as well as Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy and Gilbert Arenas, all of Golden State, Chicago's Tyson Chandler, New Jersey's Richard Jefferson and Jamaal Tinsley of Indiana.

Richardson was the MVP of last year's game when the rookies defeated the sophomores 103-97.

Former NBA coaches Mike Fratello and Cotton Fitzsimmons will coach the Rookie Challenge game. They will be assisted by former Hawks stars Bob Pettit and Lou Hudson.