‘Epic’ dunk by KU ex Johnny Furphy highlights NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas
Former University of Kansas shooting guard/small forward Johnny Furphy of the Indiana Pacers had what the Indianapolis Star newspaper called “the best dunk of the summer league” in Monday’s 114-105 loss to the Chicago Bulls in Las Vegas.
According to Dustin Dopirak of the Indy Star, Furphy, who finished with 15 points and six rebounds, “grabbed a defensive rebound, put the ball behind his back around the 3-point line, cocked the ball back almost to his hip and threw down over top of Bulls rookie Noa Essengue, the Frenchman the Bulls picked with the No. 12 pick in this year’s draft.”
The dunk, in the second quarter, went viral on social media site X Monday night into Tuesday.
“Johnny MF Furphy sheeeeeesh,” read an X post of Indiana Pacers’ star Tyrese Haliburton.
“Dunk of the Year!?! Johnny Furphy with the big-time poster dunk!” read an X post from the NBA Summer League account.
“Johnny Furphy oh my goodness. Gave us the dunk of the summer league,” read a Bleacher Report post on X.
The Indiana Pacers X account posted the dunk with the words, “Johnny Furphy just dropped the best dunk at NBA Summer League.”
ESPN basketball insider Olgun Uluc wrote on X: “Johnny Furphy with the dunk of the summer league. My (gosh).”
The Fan Duel X account wrote: “Let’s get Johnny Furphy in the dunk contest ASAP.”
“Wow. That was a pretty epic move and dunk by Furphy,” wrote veteran NBA writer K.C. Johnson, who covers the Chicago Bulls for Chicago Sports Network.
General consensus on X seemed to be it was one of the best dunks in summer league history.
Furphy, 6-9 from Melbourne, Australia, earlier in the week was asked by NBA-TV sideline reporter Dennis Scott about his dunking ability.
“I’ve always had that. I try to be as aggressive as possible. But yeah I’ve always had that,” the 20-year-old Furphy said of athleticism and ability to slam the ball through the basket.
As far as Furphy’s overall game, the Indy Star reported: “Furphy finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. He had a few mishaps, twice fouling Matas Buzelis on 3-point shots with the Bulls forward converting one of those into a four-point play. However, he’s still showing speed in transition, sharp movement off the ball in the halfcourt and physicality on both ends as he tries to put himself in the conversation for rotation minutes this season.”
On Saturday, second-year NBA player Furphy scored 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting in a 104-85 loss to Oklahoma City. He missed all six of his 3-point tries. Former KU wing Furphy was 1-of-2 from the line and grabbed six rebounds with four assists in 29 minutes.
Furphy played just nine minutes in the Pacers’ opener on Friday after getting elbowed in the jaw by a Cleveland player. He hit two 3s and had eight points in that game.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 9:50 AM with the headline "‘Epic’ dunk by KU ex Johnny Furphy highlights NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas."
