Look, he’s done it again: Furphy’s dunk at practice rivals summer-league slam
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Johnny Furphy produced a viral 2025 summer-league dunk and practice slam.
- Pacers coaches and teammates credit Furphy’s training and 20-pound gain.
- Furphy projects as a developing rotation guard with defensive and shooting tasks.
Indiana Pacers second-year shooting guard Johnny Furphy flushed a viral poster dunk over Chicago’s Noa Essengue on July 14 in Las Vegas. It was deemed on social media perhaps the most forceful slam in NBA summer-league history.
Furphy, who played a one-and-done college season at Kansas (2023-24) before being selected by Indiana in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, reserved a spot for himself on numerous X highlight reels again on Friday.
He torpedoed a one-handed slam over his new teammate, Jay Huff, in the Pacers’ third training-camp practice Friday in Indianapolis.
Once again, the slam took social media by storm.
“There was one (dunk) today you’ll probably see on Instagram a little later,” coach Rick Carlisle said in an NBA.com article. “He’s a fearless athlete. He attacks everything. He’s unafraid. He’s tough. And every day he gets better.”
Furphy, it seems, orchestrated the dunk while wearing Indiana All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton’s new Puma “Hali 1” shoes.
“It was pretty spectacular, I’m not going to lie ... for a white guy,” Indy point guard T.J. McConnell said with a laugh. “No, in all seriousness, it was pretty awesome. And Ty’s going to tell you it was because he was wearing his shoes. Furph’s got some bounce. It was good to see him attack the rim like that and especially finish it that way,” McConnell added.
Of Friday’s dunk, the 6-foot-9, 200-pound, 20-year-old Furphy modestly told reporters after practice: “I’m just trying to be as aggressive as possible. It has to do with training. I think I’m getting a little better.”
Furphy was mobbed by his teammates after completing the vicious, one-handed slam.
“It’s cool. It’s nice all the guys getting around me,” Furphy said of immediate reaction to his remarkable slam.
Furphy — he said he’s put on 20 pounds since the final days of his rookie season — played sparingly in 50 regular-season and 11 playoff games in 2024-25. He averaged 7.6 minutes per game in the regular season and 3.2 in the postseason. He also played in 10 games for the Pacers’ G League team, formerly known as the Indy Mad Ants, now the Noblesville (Indiana) Boom.
“I’m feeling I’d say more comfortable in my body, being able to kind of absorb contact, use my body a little bit better,” Furphy told reporters at Monday’s Pacers media day in Indianapolis.
“I see it more on defense,” he added of improvement. “I’m excited for this year. It’s nice kind of knowing what to expect going into my second year, feeling more comfortable.”
Furphy received words of praise at Monday’s media day from 25-year-old, two-time All-Star Haliburton, who singled out Furphy when asked if any player had stood out during summer pickup games that the injured Haliburton watched intently from the sidelines.
Haliburton at media day called Furphy a “gym rat,” and revealed the Melbourne, Australia native was the first player to return to Indy for summer workouts after a short vacation. The Pacers fell to Oklahoma City in a seven-game series in the 2025 NBA Finals.
In July, former KU guard Kevin Pritchard, the team’s president of basketball operations said of Furphy: “Our second-round pick Furphy, he’s gained 20 pounds. He’s been the best player out on our practice floor for summer league.”
At the time Pritchard stated the possibility Furphy could be a rotation player in year two in the league.
The summer league dunk hasn’t hurt his chances. It was that spectacular.
“I almost flipped my couch when I saw it (on NBA TV),” Pacers forward Obi Toppin said on NBA.com. “I was like, ‘Geez, that was crazy.’ He definitely works hard to get that bounce I’m sure.”
Of the summer dunk against the Bulls, Furphy said recently: “I think the reaction of the media and stuff was pretty funny. I was on the good side of a meme. I got a lot of compliments and that sort of thing. It was everywhere for a few days. I was getting a lot of text messages. I’m not going to lie. It was a pretty good feeling.”
As far as entering year two, a year the Pacers must play without the injured Haliburton who is out with a torn Achilles tendon, Furphy said at media day: “I kind of know where my biggest areas for improvement are. I think I’m a long way from where I’m going to be and where I need to be, but I think I’m trending in the right direction. I’ve just got to keep working every day, and hopefully we’ll see results.
“I feel like I need to be as consistent as possible with shooting. I’ve got to be able to make open shots all the time. So that’s the biggest thing. And then obviously, defense. I think defense is going to help me get some opportunity.”
He already is a fan favorite in Indy. Fans his rookie year often would call for him to enter the game in the fourth quarter of blowouts.
“He looks like he’s 14. That’s why people love him,” Haliburton joked.
According to basketball.com.au, Furphy is one of an expected 18 Australian players to make NBA rosters in 2025-26. He was one of nine international players to compete in the 2025 NBA Finals.
“It’s big. I think it’s pretty cool to be a part of it. It’s the most international players we’ve ever had in the league right now, so it’s cool to be part of it. I think it’s just going to keep growing (on an international stage),” he told the website.
This story was originally published October 4, 2025 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Look, he’s done it again: Furphy’s dunk at practice rivals summer-league slam."
