MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves signed first-round draft choice Ndudi Ebi on Saturday.

Ebi, a 6-foot-9, 195-pound forward from Westbury Christian high school in Houston, was chosen 26th overall. He received a three-year deal with an option for a fourth, a standard package as part of the league's sliding scale for rookie contracts.

The team did not disclose terms, but according to the sliding scale, Ebi would earn about $2.25 million during his three-year contract.

Born in Nigeria, Ebi is the second player drafted out of high school by the Timberwolves under Kevin McHale, the team's vice president of basketball operations. All-star Kevin Garnett was taken fifth in the 1995 draft. The team is hoping Ebi will follow a similar gradual ascension to Garnett, beginning with the team's summer league in Orlando.

"He's got great potential, but you make yourself a great player with hard work," McHale said. "You can give a lot of parameters and guidance, but he's the one that's got to do it. We'll give him direction, but as it is in life, it's up to you."