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The Minnesota Timberwolves, an NBA franchise, have signed CJ Fulton.

In anticipation of a contract that has been confirmed, the Belfast-born 23-year-old has spent the first half of the pre-season with the back-to-back Western Conference finalists.

Fulton is expected to be traded to the Iowa Wolves in the G-League, the NBA’s team-affiliated development league, in the coming days, giving him a chance to develop and make his way to the Timberwolves’ entire roster.

He explained to BBC Sport NI earlier in September, “It’s a way to keep me glued to the franchise and work my way up.”

Fulton made his NBA debut for the Timberwolves during the Summer League despite being selected for the NBA Draft in June.

He was the third Irish-born player to play basketball at the highest level in the United States since Pat Burke and Susan Moran, who both played four minutes in the team’s 89-85 victory over the Phoenix Suns in July.

The former St. Malachy’s College student then scored two points, two assists, and two steals in 17 minutes against the Houston Rockets.

He initially caught the Timberwolves’ attention when he played college basketball for Lafayette and the Charleston Cougars, where he averaged 7.8 points and 6.5% assists per game.

Fernando Alonso says it would be “very hard” to retire from Formula 1 at the end of 2026 if Aston Martin are not competitive next season.

The 44-year-old two-time world champion’s contract expires at the end of next year and Alonso says he has “thought about” leaving F1.

“If things go well, I think it’s a very good moment to stop because I’ve been chasing a competitive car and competitive racing for many, many years, and if I have that I think it’s a very good way to close my career,” Alonso said in an interview released by the team.

Alonso won his two world titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, and has not won a race since his victory for Ferrari in the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.

Although regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, and still performing at a very high level, his career since then has been a story of not having a competitive car.

Alonso finished runner-up in the championship three times in four years for Ferrari, and in 2010 and 2012 missed out on beating Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to the title by just five and four points respectively, despite driving a less competitive car.

A move to McLaren for 2014 did not pay off as the team were in decline and their Honda engines were the worst on the grid at the time.

He stepped away from F1 at the end of 2018 to pursue other interests, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours and the world endurance championship twice, as well as competing in the Indianapolis 500 and Dakar Rally.

Alonso returned to F1 in 2021 with Alpine and moved to Aston Martin in 2023, when the team had a brief burst of competitiveness and Alonso took six podiums in the first eight races before the team’s form tailed off.

Aston Martin are having a difficult 2025 season and are seventh in the constructors’ championship with seven races remaining.

Alonso is 14th in the drivers’ championship, two points and three places behind team-mate Lance Stroll, despite out-qualifying the Canadian 19 times to one so far.

Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has spent the past few years investing in the team in the hope of turning them into champions.

Next year, they will produce their first car under the technical leadership of design legend Adrain Newey, who joined them in March this year after resigning from Red Bull in April 2024.

Alonso says he sees 2026, when F1 is introducing new regulations for engines and chassis, as an “opportunity” and has been impressed by his first experiences of working with Newey.

“He’s an incredible person and everyone in the team is learning from him,” Alonso said.

Alonso, who will turn 45 in July next year, says he believes Aston Martin have put together all the ingredients needed to win.

“I’m pretty convinced about that,” he said. “The only thing is when. That’s probably my only question mark from this project.

“In my case, driving in the last couple of years of my career, obviously, I want to taste the success of the Aston Martin project.

“But I know that everything takes a little bit of time to glue all the pieces together.

“Aston Martin fighting for and winning the World Championship is more or less guaranteed in the future – we have everything needed to fight for a World Championship.

After being unexpectedly called off for the Ashes this winter, England Test captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum say they make new players feel “on top of the world.”

Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson, and Jack Leach are all scheduled to play against off-spinner Jacks in their only other Test appearances in 2022, but Shoaib Bashir will be covered there.

Jacks told BBC Radio 5 Live, “You feel like you can take anyone on.”

“For someone who makes their debut on the team, it builds you up quickly and makes you feel like you belong there right away.

Jacks is a regular member of England’s white-ball team, but this year’s first-class cricket team has only taken five wickets in 74.1 overs.

“Baz (McCullum) called me, had a casual chat, then dropped it in, and it completely surprised me,” Jacks said.

I’m happy to fill any position that the team requires. I’ve been playing that game for the white-ball team.

“It was fantastic to be a part of the Stokes-led Test side.” Therefore, I’m eager to participate once more.