CJ Fulton will play for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA’s Summer League next month
CJ Fulton will play for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA’s Summer League next month
Barry Lennon
Today at 00:21
Ireland international CJ Fulton has received a big boost to his professional basketball ambitions after it was confirmed he will play for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA’s Summer League next month.
The Belfast man may have missed out in the NBA draft on Wednesday, but he gets a chance to showcase his skills at the preseason tournament that brings together all 30 franchises for 11 days in Las Vegas.
Teams typically use the annual competition as an opportunity to try out new players and youngsters who were not selected in the draft.
Though the 22-year-old wasn’t selected by the Timberwolves with their 17th or 45th picks, Fulton evidently made an impression on the side after being invited to their pre-draft camp earlier this month.
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly had referred to Fulton in an interview earlier this week, saying they had intended “to get the Irish kid” for the Summer League.
The point guard’s place in the tournament was confirmed by a social media post from the College of Charleston, where Fulton has just completed his senior year of third-level basketball in South Carolina.
The Timberwolves, who lost out in the western conference finals this past season, begin their Summer League against New Orleans Pelicans on July 10.
Fulton hopes to follow in the footsteps of Pat Burke and Susan Moran who were the first Irish-born players to play at the highest level in the United States.