Latest news with #dunk
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pacers' Johnny Furphy throws down dunk of the Summer League in wild poster over Noa Essengue
The NBA's Summer League in Las Vegas is just getting started, but Johnny Furphy has already laid claim to what should easily go down as the dunk of the event. Furphy, after weaving his way up the court in the second quarter of the Indiana Pacers' matchup with the Bulls, cocked back and threw down a wild one-handed slam over Chicago rookie Noa Essengue on Monday afternoon at Cox Pavillion in Las Vegas. The replay and photos that came out of it were somehow even better. Essengue was taken by the Bulls took out of France with the No. 12 overall pick in the draft earlier this summer. He didn't stand a chance on the play. Advertisement Furphy is fresh off his rookie season in the league last season with the Pacers, who he helped reach the NBA Finals. After being selected with the No. 35 overall pick out of Kansas in the 2024 NBA Draft, Furphy averaged just shy of eight minutes per game last season for the Pacers. He averaged 14.3 points in the 10 games he played with their G League affiliate, too. Furphy had 11 points at halftime on Monday night. He finished with 15 points and shot 5-of-9 from the field in the Pacers' 114-105 loss to the Bulls. Essengue finished with 21 points for Chicago. While there is plenty of time left for someone to go after the 'Dunk of the Summer League' title, Furphy has set the bar incredibly high. That poster, which Essengue somehow already found himself on the wrong side of, is going to be very hard to beat.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Watch: Johnny Furphy's NBA Summer League slam dunk hailed as one of the greatest by an Australian ever
Aussie Indiana Pacer Johnny Furphy has elevated and detonated to produce one of the greatest in-game dunks by an Australian ever. 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. 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. The Maribyrnong College product's victim was none other than Bulls 2025 first-round pick Noa Essengue who was immortalised on a Furphy poster for the world to see. 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 teammates noggin'. What an insane poster by Johnny Furphy 😳 — Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) July 15, 2025 — Nathan | LFC | Jackjumpers (@grubbavitch) July 14, 2025 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. Johnny MF Furphy sheeeeeesh🤯 — Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) July 14, 2025 Your favorite players favorite player — Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) July 14, 2025 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. 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.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pacers' Johnny Furphy throws down dunk of the Summer League in wild poster over Noa Essengue
The NBA's Summer League in Las Vegas is just getting started, but Johnny Furphy has already laid claim to what should easily go down as the dunk of the event. Furphy, after weaving his way up the court in the second quarter of the Indiana Pacers' matchup with the Bulls, cocked back and threw down a wild one-handed slam over Chicago rookie Noa Essengue on Monday afternoon at Cox Pavillion in Las Vegas. The replay and photos that came out of it were somehow even better. Essengue, who the Bulls took out of France with the No. 12 overall pick in the draft earlier this summer, didn't stand a chance. Advertisement Furphy is fresh off his rookie season in the league last season with the Pacers, who he helped reach the NBA Finals. After being selected with the No. 35 overall pick out of Kansas in the 2024 NBA Draft, Furphy averaged just shy of eight minutes per game last season for the Pacers. He averaged 14.3 points in the 10 games he played with their G League affiliate, too. Furphy had 11 points at halftime on Monday night. While there is plenty of time left for someone to go after the 'Dunk of the Summer League' title, Furphy has set the bar incredibly high. That poster, which Essengue somehow already found himself on the wrong side of, is going to be very hard to beat.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
4-star high school basketball star throws down dunk of the summer; is he really only 5-foot-9?
It wouldn't be club basketball season without a relatively small guard throwing down an insane dunk. Here we have a viral entrant for high school dunk of the offseason from a member of Team Loaded, which came in the second half of a competitive loss to Indiana Elite in Adidas 3SSB play. First of all, this is an insane dunk and display of leaping ability whether the dunker in question was 5-foot-5, 6-5, or 7-5. No matter his height, his body control and distance from the floor speaker for themselves. Advertisement But was he really only 5-9 like the tweet said? He certainly was the smallest player on the floor, taking off far from the rim and switching hands in midair before jamming it with emphasis. Based on his proximity in size with the other players on the floor, 5-foot-9 passes the eye test. However, the player in question was one of the bigger guard recruits in the South/East Coast in 4-star rising senior Yohance Connor of Combine Academy (NC). Connor is listed at 6-2 and ranked 104th in the Class of 2026 by 247Sports. The truth is, players in the vicinity of 6-1 and 6-2 frequently do appear to be 5-9 when sharing the floor with college and professional-sized wings and frontcourt players. For those who watched the 2025 NBA playoffs, look no farther than T.J. McConnell, who stands 6-0.75 barefoot and 6-2 in basketball shoes. In the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was frequently the only player on the floor below 6-foot-5 in bare feet. Advertisement Even if 6-foot-2 is a stretch for Connor in bare feet – which it might not be – he's certainly nowhere near 5-9. But the dunk was still truly insane, and the fact that he's all of 6-foot-2 at most instead of 5-9 doesn't diminish its viral-worthiness. That was one of the more impressive and visually jarring dunks you'll see from a small guard, and that's that. Connor finished the game with 22 points despite the loss. While it takes more than just elite athleticism to play high major college ball at 6-foot-2, it's easy to see why he's nearly a top-100 recruit in his class with 12 offers that include Auburn, Arizona State, Illinois, LSU, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech. RELATED:
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
LeBron James Reacts to Bronny James' Dunk in Lakers Summer League Game
LeBron James Reacts to Bronny James' Dunk in Lakers Summer League Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Lakers returned to Summer League action on Sunday with their highly anticipated matchup against the Miami Heat, and all eyes were on Bronny James as he made his 2025 Summer League debut. After sitting out Saturday's opener against the Golden State Warriors, James stepped into the lineup looking to make an early impact. Advertisement James' rookie campaign was a learning curve, marked by split time between the Lakers' main roster and their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. He appeared in 27 NBA games last season, averaging 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in limited minutes, but found his rhythm in the G League, posting 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 11 games. With a full year of pro experience under his belt, many fans expect the 20-year-old guard to earn a bigger role in his sophomore season. He wasted no time showing that progress on Sunday. Just seconds after tipoff, James picked off a pass, sprinted the length of the floor, and threw down a powerful dunk to open the scoring for Los Angeles — a highlight that quickly made the rounds online. Advertisement The dunk caught the attention of none other than his father, LeBron James, who proudly reposted the video to his Instagram story. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts to Bronny James highlight on / instagram LeBron and Bronny became the first father-son duo in the NBA. With the four-time MVP picking up his $52.6 million player option last month, both players will now prepare to share the Lakers' locker room for a second straight year. Bronny James' statement play early in Summer League hints at the improvements he's made to his game and his readiness to compete for meaningful minutes next season. Related: Bronny James Comments on Immediate NBA Future Amid Lakers' Decision Related: Steph Curry's Message to LeBron James Turns Heads After Warriors-Lakers Trade Report This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
