Watch: Aussie Johnny Furphy's monster NBA Summer League dunk goes viral
Less than a month after he was part of the Pacers squad that pushed Oklahoma City to seven games in the NBA finals, the 20-year-old Victorian stopped Las Vegas Summer League in its tracks with a jaw-dropping hammer that immediately went viral.
With 3.30 left in the second quarter, Furphy rebounded a Chicago miss and took the ball coast-to-coast.
Johnny Furphy puts Noa Essengue on a brutal poster.
Eyeing the basket, Furphy rose, cocked his arm back, hung in the air and crammed the ball down the cylinder in a stunning statement that brought the entire Pacers bench to its feet.
'I didn't really plan it out, I don't normally jump off two feet so that's a new experience for me — It wasn't anything out of the ordinary,' Furphy said, with a cheeky grin, post game.
'I just want to be as aggressive as possible and, when I see an opportunity, I'm going to take it.'
Take it, he did, the Maribyrnong College product immortalising Bulls 2025 first-round pick Noa Essengue who on a poster for the world to see..
Fellow Aussie NBA draft pick Lachlan Olbrich could only look on in stunned disbelief as Johnny Furphy baptised his Chicago Bulls teammate.
Fellow Aussie Lachy Olbrich, the Illawarra Hawks NBL champion selected with pick No.55 in this year's draft, had the best seat in the house to the nasty dunk, trailing behind Furphy as he yammed it on his teammate's noggin'.
'I played Lachlan (at) 2021 nationals when I was a no-name so I remember matching up with him and he just dominated so it's pretty cool to play him on a stage like this,' Furphy said.
The effort sent NBA Twitter into overdrive and had many wondering if an Australian had ever produced a dunk that matched it.
Pacers franchise player Tyrese Haliburton couldn't hide his approval: 'Johnny MF Furphy sheeeeeesh', the injured star wrote on X.
'Your favorite players favorite player,' he added.
The 35th pick in the 2024 NBA draft is no one-trick pony, either, his 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists 2 steals and 2 blocks filling the stat sheet, despite the Bulls' 114-105 win.
Furphy said he was making the most of his chance at Summer League as he prepares for his sophomore NBA season.
'I'm just tryng to use my experience as much as possible,' he said.
'Second time here, I know what to expect.
'I've still got a lot more room to improve, especially with shooting and taking care of the ball.
'This is just a good opportunity for guys like me and other younger guys to have the ball in their hands.'
Aussie Johnny Furphy clears for take off.
A chestbump after Furphy's stunner.
Marty Clark, Furphy's coach at the NBA Global Academy, recently told Code Sports he expected the young gun to develop into an Olympian – after once not making the top state team for Victoria.
'He was in the U20 B team for Victoria when I first saw him and the first thing we thought was 'who's that and why haven't we seen him before?',' Clarke recalls of Furphy.
'He just stood out. Long, athletic, straight line, played hard.'
He said the 206cm Furphy drew comparisons to the likes of Joe Ingles and Brad Newley.
'I guess (he's) similar in Joe's capability at that size with maybe Brad Newley's athleticism, and you even think Andrew (Gaze), that big guard, and no one's comparing them to Andrew yet, but just the physical tools.
'I think that's where some people underestimate (his) sheer size.'
Michael Randall
Basketball journalist
Michael Randall is a basketball reporter for the Herald Sun and CODE Sports, covering the NBL, WNBL, NBA and Australian senior and junior international and representative teams.
@MickRandallHS
Michael Randall
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