Kansas Jayhawks basketball’s Johnny Furphy announces his 2024 NBA Draft decision

Kansas freshman forward Johnny Furphy will remain in the NBA Draft, he announced Wednesday night.

Furphy had until 10:59 p.m. Central Time to remove his name from consideration for the 2024 draft pool if he wanted to rejoin KU for his sophomore season.

Currently, most mock drafts project Furphy as a mid-to-late 1st-round pick.

The Australian forward finished his freshman season averaging 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds and was voted to the Big 12’s all-freshman team. Furphy has had a rapid rise among draft candidates.

When he first arrived in Lawrence, he was initially seen as a multiyear prospect with the potential to be a first-round pick after a few seasons.

Instead, Furphy declared for the draft in April.

His father, Richard Furphy, explained his son’s thought process to The Star in early May.

“Johnny always thought if the opportunity was there, it would be a good learning experience, no matter what,” Richard said. “And he’d probably be better for it. … It was more about taking the opportunity that was presented because he was clearly on the radar and clubs were interested.”

Although Furphy didn’t participate in scrimmages at the NBA Combine, he did take part in Priority Sports’ pro day.

A national NBA Draft evaluator provided The Star with insight into Furphy’s pro day. The evaluator said Furphy played well and excelled during the shooting drills.

Now, Furphy awaits the NBA Draft. A source told The Star that he worked out with three to four NBA teams in the past few weeks.

The NBA Draft is set for June 26-27 in Brooklyn, New York.