‘It’s super crazy to think I will be up on that stage. It will be a dream come true.’

He didn’t make a state representative team until he was 17 but Johnny Furphy from Clifton Hill is on the cusp of a “pretty crazy” achievement by being drafted to the NBA.

Melbourne’s Johnny Furphy is set to be drafted into the NBA after a year with the Kansas Jayhawks. Picture: Getty Images

A Melbourne teenager who did not make the Victorian team until he was 17 is set to realise a “pinch myself” dream of ­becoming Australia’s latest NBA star.

Johnny Furphy – the brother of rookie-listed Geelong ruckman Joe – may become an instant millionaire if picked in this week’s NBA Draft.

Furphy, 19, was unable to play basketball when locked down with fellow Victorians during the pandemic.

When he was finally allowed to return to the court, his childhood club Hawthorn collapsed.

Johnny Furphy with brother Joe who is on Geelong’s rookie list.

But after impressing in a season for US college team Kansas Jayhawks, his stocks have risen to the point scouts expect him to be drafted between 10th and 23rd this week.

The 206cm guard told the Herald Sun it was “kinda crazy” he could take on the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry in one of the world’s biggest sports leagues.

“It hasn’t really like fully sunk in, what I’m doing,” he said.

“It’s pretty crazy how this is real.”

One of 23 players invited to the “green room”, Furphy’s rise will see him follow the likes of Victorians Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Dante Exum, Ben Simmons and Andrew Bogut as early draft picks.

Furphy did not make the Victorian team until he was 17.

“I’ve grown up watching the NBA, seen all these rookies come into the league and it’s super crazy to think I will be up on that stage,” he said. “It will be a dream come true.”

He was a childhood fan of Los Angeles legend James, and the Lakers are one of seven clubs that asked Furphy to try out.

He is still trying to get his head around the fact he may soon be on the same court as the basketball icon.

“Oh my God, he’s been in the NBA longer than I’ve been alive,” he said. “I haven’t really thought about that but it’s going to be wild.”

Furphy said it will be ‘wild’ if he gets to share a court with LeBron James. Picture: Getty

Furphy grew up in Clifton Hill playing footy for Fitzroy.

He played junior basketball at Collingwood, Bulleen and Hawthorn ­before making Victoria’s under-20s reserve team in 2020 and Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence.

“I didn’t really see the inside of a basketball court for the better part of a year and a half, which is kind of crazy to think about,” he said of Victoria’s lockdowns.

“So I definitely made the most of the backyard and local outdoor basketball courts.”

Furphy’s proud dad Rich, who will attend the draft with wife Liza Alpers, Joe and daughter Holly, said it had been a tale of hard work.

“It’s been a crazy ride for Johnny,” he said. “Sports were shut down for virtually two years and Johnny was at that critical point of 15, 16 years old.

“Then he came out, he had grown a bit, but he hadn’t made a state team until two or three years ago.

“So to be where he is now is extraordinary.”

Furphy’s former Victorian high performance coach Ash Arnott said the “late developer” was “a great person from a great family” whose hot run to the NBA was testament to his basketball IQ.

“I guess that’s what has helped him become a great player because he’s down to earth and he works so hard,” he said.

“But one of the major ­assets that Johnny has is his temperament and his attitude. He never gets too high and never gets too low.

“He’s able to deal with all ­en­vironments and scenarios because he’s always level-headed.”

Having drawn widespread interest from teams, Furphy was happy to go anywhere to reach his goal.

“You get picked and generally, depending on the team, you will fly out the next day to a new city and meet everyone there,” he said.

“I don’t really know what the plan is after that.”