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Johni Broome is headed to the City of Brotherly Love.
With the fifth pick in the second round (35th overall) of the 2025 NBA Draft on Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers drafted the big man out of Auburn. Broome becomes the first former Auburn player to be drafted into the NBA since Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler were taken in 2022.
Broome led the SEC in rebounding (10.8 per game) and blocked shots (2.1 per game) last season while putting up 18.6 points per game. The 6-foot-10 forward became the 14th player in program history to earn All-American honors. He was also named to the All-SEC First Team, the SEC All-Defensive Team, and the SEC All-Tournament team.
He spent 3 seasons with Auburn after transferring from Morehead State, appearing in 104 games during that span. Broome is 1 of 4 players in NCAA Division I history with 2,500 points and 1,500 rebounds.
Broome is a fascinating NBA prospect. He has size, he has a clear set of low-post skills, and he comes from a winning program. As a defensive option in a rotation, he can be an effective player. But there’s virtually no range on his shot — Broome took 90 3-pointers in nearly 1,100 minutes last season, making 28% of them — and the athleticism was heavily criticized at the NBA Combine. Former Florida defensive lineman Desmond Watson had a higher vertical (25 inches) than Broome (24.5 inches) and Watson weighs north of 450 pounds.
But Broome should get a shot with a Philadelphia team that is looking for a hard reset this offseason. The 76ers imploded last season, finishing 24-58 and missing the postseason for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Their stars — Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey — played 15 games together. Embiid played only 19 total.
The NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas runs July 10-20.
Derek Peterson
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
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