From draft night snub to pace setter: Johnny Furphy’s ascent continues

Johnny Furphy’s sudden rise hit a minor snag when he fell to the second round of the NBA Draft, but he used that as motivation to become a fan favourite at Summer League. More on that and what's next.

There are plenty of talented junior basketball players across Australia. When you watch the U16 or U18 National Championships, head down to see your local NBL1 or state league team, or follow our junior national teams on the world stage in FIBA tournaments, it’s clear that our pipeline is strong.

But what makes one player stand out from others? How can someone go from promising junior talent, to taking on the best players in the world? It’s not easy, but that’s exactly what Melbourne product Johnny Furphy has done over the last two years.

Furphy, who was drafted by the Indiana Pacers (via trade with San Antonio Spurs) with the 35^th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, was playing in Division 1 of Victoria’s Big V with Melbourne University two years ago. He’d come through Basketball Victoria’s State Development Program and made his first state team at age 17, before being invited to the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (CoE) to work on his skills and develop further.

He played some games for them in the NBL1 East conference, but it was a CoE trip to the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta in July 2023 that put Furphy on the map. He excelled in that setting and drew international attention, resulting in Division 1 college scholarship offers rolling in.

Furphy eventually committed to Kansas University to play under legendary coach Bill Self. He played off the bench initially, but a change to the starting unit in January of this year, some fifteen games into the Jayhawks’ season, gave Furphy the opportunity he needed and he grabbed it with both arms.

He excelled at the collegiate level and became a fixture on NBA mock drafts as a likely first round pick. And while he fell to the early second round, he has already secured a multi-year deal with the Pacers and has realised a dream that most of those talented juniors never will.

It’s a bit of a pinch-yourself moment for Furphy, as he told The Pick and Roll on Friday.

“It’s been pretty crazy. The last six months really took off,” Furphy said. “Really, it’s kind of crazy looking back and this time last year I was playing in the Academy Games. Obviously, I always wanted to make it to the top, but I didn’t know when or how quickly it would happen. So, I think one thing really just led to the next, and just riding the momentum and taking opportunities and risks.

“But, it has been pretty insane to let this sink in, just to realise what I’m doing and what I’m stepping into. It’s pretty special to think about – this is something I’ve wanted to do my whole, entire life and it’s actually a reality now. So, yeah, it’s slowly sinking in.”

Furphy’s play at those NBA Academy Games, his first real taste of U.S. style basketball, not only put him on the map with scouts, coaches and executives, but it was kind of a gratifying moment for his own self-belief.