Growing up in Belfast, CJ Fulton was a basketball enthusiast who never imagined he would one day be on the verge of playing in the NBA. Now, at 22, Fulton is making waves in the basketball world. After a standout college career with Lafayette and the Charleston Cougars, where he averaged 7.8 points and 6.5 assists per game in his senior year, Fulton is taking the next step towards his ultimate goal: the NBA.

Despite not being selected in the initial NBA draft, Fulton has been given a golden opportunity to showcase his talents. He has been invited to join the Minnesota Timberwolves for the NBA Summer League, a pre-season tournament that serves as a platform for teams to evaluate their drafted players, squad members who saw limited action during the regular season, and undrafted players like Fulton.

Fulton's journey to this point has been nothing short of remarkable. While on holiday in Los Angeles, he received a text from his agent informing him that the Timberwolves wanted him to join them for a workout. Just two days later, he was in Minnesota, and another workout followed with the Denver Nuggets. It was back home in Belfast, surrounded by family and friends, that Fulton received the news he had been hoping for: he would be part of the Timberwolves' Summer League roster.

"I had a workout there and it must have been alright," said a modest Fulton, whose father Adrian represented Ireland. "I was buzzing. I kind of had an idea I would be getting an update from my agent after the draft as the Timberwolves had been in touch, but I was over the moon and I'm really excited."

The Summer League, which takes place over 11 days in Las Vegas in July, is an opportunity for Fulton to impress in front of the biggest names in the sport. He aims to become the third Irish-born player to earn the chance to compete at the highest level in the United States, following in the footsteps of Pat Burke and Susan Moran.

"It gives teams a chance to evaluate their group and make a decision on their roster going into the year," added the Ireland international. "It's crazy to think about and I never thought I'd be in this position. We've a training camp in Minnesota for a few days and then we head out to Vegas as a team. I'll try and learn as much as I can and embrace the opportunity. Hopefully, I can give a good account of myself, but it will be really cool to see all the talent. There will be 30 teams there and celebrities - the whole deal, so I'm really excited."

Fulton is well aware that the road to the NBA is uncertain, but he remains optimistic. If the Timberwolves look elsewhere, he has options outside the NBA, including the G-League or returning to Europe to forge a professional career, as was his initial plan before his NBA dreams sparked into life.

"The NBA would be unreal but we'll see what happens," said Fulton. "I never really thought it was in the picture for me. My goal coming out of college was to try and get to the highest levels of Europe. I didn't think I would get this opportunity but now that I'm here I'll try and make the most of it. It would be pretty big."