Joe Johnson And Hawks To Play In Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., August 22- The New Orleans Hornets announced their preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on October 18 has been moved from Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., to ALLTEL Arena in North Little Rock, Ark. The game time will remain at 7:00 p.m. Central time. "We`re looking forward to giving the fans of Little Rock a great show when we bring the NBA to ALLTEL Arena," Paul Mott, Hornets President said. "They will get to experience an exciting exhibition of the world`s greatest athletes, a homecoming for the Hawks` Joe Johnson and Hornets assistant coach Darrell Walker and a preview of the great action they`ll see this year when the Arkansas RimRockers begin their inaugural season in the NBA Development League." Johnson, (Little Rock Central, Arkansas) who was recently traded to the Atlanta Hawks, will play in Arkansas for the first time since joining the NBA. Selected after his sophomore season by the Boston Celtics in the first round (10th pick overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft, Johnson was traded later that season to the Phoenix Suns, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In 2004-05, Johnson ranked second in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (.478) and fourth in minutes played (3,240) after leading the NBA in that category the previous season (3,331). Walker (University of Arkansas) enters his second season as an Assistant Coach with the Hornets, after stints as the interim head coach for both the Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics of the WNBA. A three-year letter winner at Arkansas, Walker ranks fourth on the schools career steals list (230), eighth on the career assists list (302), and was named Second Team All-American and First Team All Southwest Conference in 1983 after leading the Razorbacks to the NCAA Tournaments regional semifinals and a 26-4 record. Tickets for the preseason game are available by calling Ticketmaster at 501-975-7575 or the ALLTEL Arena box office at 501-975-9000. The NBA Development League includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.). Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The D-League is a source of on-court talent for the NBAs 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.