Timberwolves select center Joan Beringer with 17th pick of NBA draft
The Timberwolves on Wednesday night picked their first player under the leadership of new owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.
With the No. 17 pick in the NBA draft, the Wolves selected Joan Beringer. The 6 foot 11 inch, 230-pound center — originally from France — is only 18 and will work with another tall Frenchman, Rudy Gobert.
According to the NBA, Beringer grew up playing soccer and claims he never touched a basketball until the summer of 2021. He says he tried out for basketball after being pressured by his friends, later joining the U17 team for Strasbourg Saint-Joseph Basket.
Beringer joined Cedevita Olimpija last summer and averaged 5.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 18.2 minutes across 54 appearances, helping the team win the 2024-25 Slovenian Basketball Cup.
The pick comes just days after longtime Timberwolves owners Glen Taylor and his wife Becky said goodbye to the team after purchasing it for $88 million more than 30 years ago.
On Tuesday, the NBA approved the $1.5 billion sale of the Wolves to an investment group led by Lore and Rodriguez.