photo by: AP Photo/Amanda Loman

Indiana Pacers forward Johnny Furphy (12) plays during an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Portland, Ore.

With all 30 rosters released for the 2025 edition of the NBA Summer League, the full complement of rookies and sophomores from KU is now set to participate in this year’s competition.

Returnees Johnny Furphy and Kevin McCullar Jr. and newcomers Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris Jr. and Zeke Mayo will take part in exhibition action that begins at 2:30 p.m. Thursday with Dickinson’s New Orleans Pelicans taking on Minnesota at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

None of the five former Jayhawks’ teams were among the eight who took part in the California Classic or Salt Lake City summer events, which take place in advance of the Las Vegas event.

All will hope to impress in a similar fashion to another former Jayhawk, Jalen Wilson, who was named the Summer League MVP when he averaged 21.8 points and 4.6 rebounds last year, and, like many other previous KU players such as Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick and Marcus Garrett, has now seemingly aged out of the exhibition competition altogether.

As a rookie second-round pick, Furphy played sparingly on a high-powered Indiana Pacers roster as his team ultimately fell in a seven-game NBA Finals series. During the regular season, the 6-foot-9 wing took part in 50 games for an average of 7.6 minutes while tallying 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds. He closed that portion of the campaign strong with 17 points and six rebounds against the Orlando Magic on April 11 and then 15 and nine against Cleveland two days later.

Furphy told reporters in a pre-Summer League media availability on Friday that his coaches have challenged him to take on more of a leadership role in this year’s event, as one of the summer Pacers’ returning players (there are six, compared to eight rookies).

While McCullar is entering his second season as a pro, it will be his first full campaign after he missed some of the 2024-25 season recovering from the injury that also derailed his final year at Kansas. As a result, he did not participate in the 2024 NBA Summer League. While he primarily spent his first year in the NBA G League, he did appear in four games for the New York Knicks, one in March and three in April before the start of their playoff run.

Dickinson is the one incoming rookie from KU who is on a contract that theoretically stretches beyond the summer; he has signed a two-way deal and will likely spend plenty of time with the Birmingham Squadron in the G League in the early stages of his career. There could be competition for time in Las Vegas in the early going, as the Pelicans’ first-round picks from each of the last two drafts, Yves Missi and Derik Queen, also play center. Ex-LSU center Will Baker is also on New Orleans’ Summer League roster.

Harris will have a chance to bolster his professional prospects if he can put together a strong showing with the Charlotte Hornets. The defensively minded, pass-first point guard, who spent six years with the Jayhawks and was a member of the 2022 national title team, will begin his Summer League campaign against Utah at 6 p.m. on Friday.

The Lawrence native Mayo returned to his hometown for his final collegiate season and helped keep the Jayhawks in plenty of games — and earn them a few key victories — with his red-hot 3-point shooting. Mayo already has one post-Summer League plan lined up as he’ll join the KU alumni in The Basketball Tournament in late July, but his broader future depends on how well he can perform in Las Vegas with the Washington Wizards. They open their summer slate at 8 p.m. on Friday against the Phoenix Suns.

photo by: Westchester Knicks

Westchester Knicks guard Kevin McCullar Jr. dribbles up the court in a game against the Long Island Nets on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in White Plains, N.Y.

photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas center Hunter Dickinson shoots a floater against Colorado on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Boulder, Colo.

Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) takes off up the court after a steal during the first half on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas guard Zeke Mayo (5) pumps up the crowd as he gets back on defense during the first half on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug