The younger brother of a Geelong rookie will suit up for NBA franchise the Indiana Pacers after being selected in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Johnny Furphy, a Melbourne-born basketballer, was selected by the San Antonio Spurs at Pick 35 and had his draft rights traded to the Pacers on Friday morning (AEST).
The 19-year-old, who was Indiana’s first selection at the draft, is the younger brother of AFL-listed Cats ruckman Joe Furphy, who signed with Geelong as a category B rookie in 2023.
Joe was a highly-rated junior basketballer and also featured for the Northern Knights as a teenager, with Geelong swooping on the 24-year-old as a rookie addition last Septemeber following several years pursuing a professional basketball career.
Johnny, a shooting guard, played Aussie Rules Football while sharing his time on the hardwood across Victoria and the ACT before heading to the USA with highly-regarded college Kansas.
“Playing Australian Rules Football growing up really helped me learn how to play with and against physicality,” Furphy said in a recent interview with ESPN.
“Just throwing your body into a pack of people, it’s something that is pretty familiar and common within the sport. I definitely learnt that from playing football.”
Joe is yet to break through for an AFL debut at Kardinia Park, with the 202cm talent viewed as a long-term project player at the Cats in a ruck pecking order consisting of premiership tall Rhys Stanley and emerging young gun Toby Conway.
Having dealt with an ankle injury earlier this year, Furphy made his first appearance in the VFL against Richmond’s reserves earlier this month.
He recorded seven disposals, nine hitouts and two tackles in a third-string ruck role behind Stanley and VFL-listed Cat Joe Pike.
Furphy doubled his career games tally against Sydney in Round 11 of the VFL before missing the Cats’ most recent match against Port Melbourne.