Former NBA lottery pick signs with Japanese team

Former NBA lottery pick Jarrett Culver has signed with the Sendai 89ers of the B. League, the top basketball league in Japan, according to the agency RBA Showcase (X link).

Culver was selected by the Timberwolves with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Texas Tech and appeared in 97 games for Minnesota in his first two NBA seasons. He was subsequently traded to Memphis ahead of his third year and signed a two-way contract with Atlanta for year four.

Culver appeared in a total of 144 NBA regular season games for those three teams from 2019-23, averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 17.2 minutes per contest, with a .401/.276/.509 shooting line. The 6’6″ swingman had good length for a wing and showed promise defensively in college, but never developed into a reliable rotation player at the NBA level.

The 26-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Orlando last fall and spent the 2024/25 season with the Osceola Magic in the G League, averaging 13.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 2.5 APG on .441/.330/.663 in 49 total appearances.

Reporting earlier this month had indicated that Culver was nearing a deal with the 89ers. This will be his first time playing for a team overseas.