CJ Fulton eyes historic breakthrough in NBA draft
Outside of the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder battling away in the NBA Finals, 28 other teams in the NBA have their sights set on June 26th and the NBA Draft.
The Draft is the NBA's attempt at democracy, ensuring that the best new talent entering the league has a chance to go to teams most in need of a boost.
This year, there's a consensus top pick in the next great American hope, Cooper Flagg, who has long been pegged for superstardom, and his award-winning season at Duke University only cemented that.
Remarkably, for the first time ever, there is an Irish player battling to be seen as a potential draft pick.
CJ Fulton, Ireland's 6' 3 point guard, has found himself on the pre-draft circuit — first with the Minnesota Timberwolves two weeks ago and now with the Denver Nuggets this week. Fulton's ability to run a team without turning the ball over is a commodity that teams want in potential late picks.
Fulton led the entire NCAA in a critical assist-to-turnover ratio, a metric that highlights a steady point guard capable of running a team effectively.
On the pre-draft workout circuit, Fulton is locking horns with players who have been pegged for the big time their whole lives, and by all accounts of the Timberwolves workout, CJ gave as good as he got and showed that he belongs on this stage.
For Irish basketball fans, this is unprecedented in the men's game. Susan Moran amazingly made it to the fringes of the New York Liberty in the WNBA in the early 2000s, but we've never had an Irish-developed men's player even close to this level.
The fact that it's CJ Fulton is less of a surprise. Since he was six years old at the side of the court, playing beside his dad Adrian or his Hall of Fame grandad Danny, CJ caught eyes.
CJ Fulton in action for Ireland. Pic: Tom Maher
His legend grew as a 15-year-old when he went viral hitting 15 three-pointers in a school final in the National Basketball Arena, and it was cemented as an 18-year-old when he led Belfast Star to a Super League title in 2020.
During his time in the NCAA, playing for Lafayette and then the College of Charleston, he has built a reputation in the States too, and teams are curious to see if his game can translate to the next level.
A draft pick remains unlikely, but the interest suggests that a place on a Summer League squad isn't unthinkable—which would be a first for an Irish-developed player.
Regardless of whether that plays out or not, these workouts and the interest he's generating are significantly raising CJ's value as a professional — whether that is in the USA or in Europe.
CJ has forced us collectively to change our perception of what's possible for a young Irish player multiple times in his young career, and regardless of the outcome, he's doing it again here.
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