Kansas basketball freshman Johnny Furphy declares for the 2024 NBA Draft

Johnny Furphy, a 6-foot-9, 202-pound men’s basketball guard who emerged as a starter his freshman year at Kansas, has decided to enter his name in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Furphy — he has left open the possibility of returning to school — made the draft announcement Tuesday on social media site X and also through the KU media relations office.

“I am excited to announce that I am declaring for the 2024 draft while maintaining my college eligibility,” Furphy, a native of Melbourne, Australia, said. “I am so grateful to coach (Bill) Self and the whole team at KU for the opportunity they gave me to be a part of this incredible program. From moving to a new country, to participating in the NCAA Tournament, this year has flown by faster than I could have ever imagined.

“I love my teammates and am so proud of everything we accomplished this season. Everyone at Kansas has made me feel at home. What I have learned at Kansas has changed the way I think about basketball, and no matter what happens from here, I’ll always be a Jayhawk. Thank you and Rock Chalk!”

KU coach Bill Self said: “Being 22 hours from home, Johnny took a big leap to come play at Kansas. He had a solid freshman year and really had a terrific second half of the season. He is a fan favorite. He wants to test the NBA Draft process and we encourage him to do just that.”

Furphy, who was a late addition to the 2023-24 team, committed to KU last Aug. 3. He started 19 of 33 games for the Jayhawks (23-11). He averaged 9.0 points a game on 46.6% shooting.

Furphy hit 44 of 125 3s for 35.2%. He hit 62 of 81 free throws for 76.5%. He grabbed 4.9 rebounds per game and had 33 assists to 28 turnovers with 29 steals.

Furphy earned All-Big 12 honorable mention and was voted a member of the league’s all-freshman team.

In high school he played for Centre of Excellence, Basketball Australia’s development program hosted at the Australian Institute of Sport alongside NBA Global Academy.

Playing for CoE, he averaged 14.3 points and was 22-for-56 (39.3%) from 3-point range. He averaged 5.6 rebounds in 12 games played in 2023. Playing for Victoria at the 2023 Australia-U20 Championship, Furphy averaged 13.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals in six games and made 38.5% of his 3-point field goals, going 21-for-33 from beyond the arc.

Earlier this month, Furphy was named to the Australian Boomers team and will be competing for a roster spot on the Australian Team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In early July, the 22-member Boomers team will be cut to 12 to represent Australia at the Olympics, July 26 – August 11 in Paris. Ten members from Australia’s 2020 bronze medal team at the Tokyo Olympics are also vying to make the 2024 squad.

Furphy is trying to become the first Kansas player since Sasha Kaun to participate in the Olympic Games. Kaun won a bronze medal while representing Russia in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Furphy has until 11:59 p.m., May 29, to withdraw from the draft and retain collegiate eligibility provided an NCAA certified agent is hired. The date is 10 days after the final day of the May 13-19 NBA Combine.