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Luol Deng has been forced to withdraw from tonight's Jordan Capital Classic game, as he continues to rest his injured foot.

Deng, a 6'8 forward from London, has played his high school basketball with Blair Academy in New Jersey for the past four years, was due to play for the Silver Jerseys

This game has attracted intense media interest, with it marking the final high school game of LeBron James, who is widely expected to enter the NBA Draft in June and is rated by most as the likely Number 1 draft pick.

The Jordan Capital Classic, sponsored by Nike, Inc.'s Jordan division, will once again feature the nation's top high school graduating seniors and will be held at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. Proceeds from the game will benefit Children's National Medical Center.

This year's participants include James (St. Vincent St. Mary/Akron, OH/Undecided), Ndudi Ebi (Westbury Christian/Houston, TX/Arizona), Kris Humphries (Hopkins/Minnetonka, MN/Duke), Ekene Ibekwe (Carson/Carson, CA/Maryland), Rodrick Stewart (Rainier Beach/Seattle, WA/USC), Brandon Foust (Brookhaven/Columbus, OH/Oklahoma), Brandon Cotton (St. Martin DePorres/Detroit, MI/Michigan State), J.R. Giddens (John Marshall/Oklahoma City, OK/Kansas), Andrew Lavender (Brookhaven/Columbus, OH/Oklahoma), Shannon Brown (Proviso East/Maywood, IL/Michigan State), Shagari Alleyne (Rice/New York, NY/Rutgers), Taurean Minor (Booker T. Washington/Houston, TX/LSU), Chris Paul (West Forsyth/Clemmons, NC/Wake Forest), Dion Harris (Redford/Detroit, MI/Michigan), Vakeaton Wafer (Heritage Christian/Cleveland, TX/Florida State), Courtney Sims (Noble & Greenough/Dedham, MA/Michigan), Drew Naymick (North Muskegon/N. Muskegon, MI/Michigan State), Gary Ervin (Notre Dame Prep/Fitchburg, MA/Mississippi State) and Linas Kleiza (Montrose Christian/Rockville, MD/Undecided).

Last year’s Jordan Capital Classic National All-Star Game included current stars such as NBA Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns), as well as NCAA standouts JJ Redick (Duke), Bracey Wright (Indiana), Rashad McCants (North Carolina), Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse), Shavlik Randolph (Duke), Hassan Adams (Arizona), Sean May (North Carolina), Dee Brown (Illinois), John Gilchrist (Maryland) and Travis Garrison (Maryland).

The National Game will be part of a doubleheader that will also include a Regional Game showcasing the Capital All-Stars, the area’s top 20 high school seniors along with recruits from the region’s top colleges. Current college stars who appeared in the 2002 Regional Game include Maryland’s Nik Caner-Medley and Chris McCray and Georgetown standout Brandon Bowman.

"We are excited to be celebrating our 30th anniversary in Washington, D.C. this April with Nike’s Jordan Division as our partner," says Robert J. Geoghan, President of Sports America, Inc. and founder of the Capital Classic. "If last year’s players were any indication of the future of the Jordan Capital Classic, this year’s event should be the most talented group of seniors we have ever had.”

Over the past 29 years, the Capital Classic has included appearances by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Mike Bibby, Elton Brand, Jay Williams, Moses Malone and Patrick Ewing and current NCAA stars Jason Gardner (Arizona), Luke Walton (Arizona), Steve Blake (Maryland), Michael Sweetney (Georgetown) and Nick Collison (Kansas).

“We are honored to continue our association with the Jordan Capital Classic,” says Larry Miller, President of Jordan, a division of Nike Inc. “These young players will have the opportunity to compete against their gifted peers, experience the history of Washington, D.C. and meet the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. It is truly a unique experience that no other event can match.”

The doubleheader will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the Regional Game, followed by the National Game at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. Prices for the Jordan Capital Classic are $30.00, $22.50 and $17.50 for both games.

For more information, please visit the official web site, www.JordanCapitalClassic.com or by calling 301-424-8500.