Who Is Johnny Furphy? What to Know About Indiana Pacers' 20-Year-Old Fan Favorite
Johnny Furphy got a lot of attention in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, so let's take a closer look at the rookie.
The Indiana Pacers struggled in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last night. Star player Tyrese Haliburton left early with an injury, and even upon returning, he couldn't find a way to get his shooting back on track, missing every single attempt from the field while earning just four points on free throws.
The Oklahoma City Thunder took the game in convincing fashion with a 120-109 win, but the Pacers weren't without their bright spots. For fans watching at home, one such bright spot was a 20-year-old rookie from Australia who recorded his first NBA Finals points. So, with the NBA Finals in full swing, and the league returning home to NBC next season, let's take a closer look at forward Johnny Furphy, and how he made it all the way to Finals.
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Who is the Indiana Pacers' forward Johnny Furphy?
A native of Melbourne, Johnny Furphy grew up playing basketball in various Australian leagues as a teenager and even joining the semi-pro ranks before heading to America to play at one of the nation's great bastions of College Basketball excellence, the University of Kansas.
As a Jayhawk in his freshman year, Furphy played 33 games and averaged 9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and one assist, enough to earn him a spot on the All-Freshman Team in the Big 12 Conference in 2024. At the end of that season, he declared for the NBA Draft, and while he was initially drafted by the San Antonio Spurs early in the second round, he was then immediately traded to the Pacers, where his NBA career began.
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Throughout the 2024-2025 season, Furphy shifted back and forth between the Pacers bench and the Pacers' G League team, the Indiana Mad Ants. As a rookie, he's largely specialized in quick substitutions to give starters breaks, and of course getting in playing time in the final minutes of games that have already tipped one direction or another. He was on the court in the final seconds when the Pacers won the Eastern Conference Finals earlier this year, and later reflected on the feeling with ESPN Australia.
“I was just kind of looking around, trying to comprehend how incredible this is, just to be a part of it, and then postgame kind of sinking in a little bit," Furphy said. "Now I’m saying to myself, ‘Are we going to the NBA Finals?’ It’s crazy. I get goosebumps thinking about it.”
Now, as the Pacers fight to earn an NBA Championship, Furphy is getting the chance to do his part. In the final minutes of Game 5, he drove to the basket for a layup and a foul, though he didn't make the free throw that followed. The 20-year-old rookie has now recorded points on the biggest NBA stage of them all, and that means there's nowhere to go but up.
When will the NBA return to NBC?
The NBA on NBC returns this October, with Peacock-exclusive games streaming Monday nights, and Tuesday night matchups in primetime on NBC. And in 2026, the action gets even bigger with the debut of Sunday Night Basketball. For more NBA news, check out NBC Sports.
