One of the modern greats of the Auburn Tigers basketball program, Johni Broome, was thought to be joining forces with LeBron James on the Philadelphia 76ers this coming NBA season. Well, the latest update is not a good one for Broome's prospects in Philly.
Meanwhile, Steven Pearl's program booked a preseason game overseas against former Tiger Filip Jović's team before he arrived in the U.S. for his one season on the Plains. Jović is now on the UCLA Bruins after hitting the transfer portal in April.
Here are the latest hardwood updates regarding the orange and blue:
Sixers likely getting rid of Johni Broome after LeBron James signing
Per Spotrac's Keith Smith, "The Philadelphia 76ers have been looking for a trade for Johni Broome. If they can’t find one, the team may waive and stretch Broome’s salary. ... Kentavious Caldwell-Pope won't clear waivers until tomorrow. The Sixers have time to work out the move to clear room to sign KCP."
Broome is part of a roster crunch that most Sixers fans likely saw coming when the team added big man Ariel Hukporti from the New York Knicks in free agency. Unfortunately, Broome's limited reps during the 2025-26 regular season didn't inspire much hope, and he offers less athletic upside than Hukporti or Adem Bona as Joel Embiid's backup.
As much as it would've been nice to see Broome improve under LeBron's tutelage and playing alongside one of the game's great distributors, it doesn't appear to be in the cards. It stings worse that former Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon will get that chance after Philly selected him No. 22 in the 2026 NBA draft.
We'll see what Broome's next steps are in his pro career. After a strong showing in the Summer League, he should get looks in free agency.
Auburn schedules KK Mega Basket for exhibition game in Mykonos
Per 247Sports' Nathan King, "The Tigers will face Serbian pro team KK Mega Basket on Aug. 8 and 9, CEO Lea Miller-Tooley of Complete Sports Management, the event's organizer, told Auburn247 on Monday. The games will be played at P. Chanioti Ano Mera Indoor Hall in Mykonos, and will both tip at 7 p.m. local time."
Four years after an Israel trip that included three games, Steven is following in his father Bruce's footsteps and getting the roster reps overseas. It's unclear if this was booked before Jović's departure. It probably was, given the obvious tie-in and the amount of time it takes for those behind the scenes to get such a massive trip cleared. We're talking about having players' passports in order, intricate travel plans, security, and everything that goes along with it.
AU will be following in the footsteps of the Kentucky Wildcats in playing KK Mega Basket. Kentucky played the Greek team in 2018. The defending champion Michigan Wolverines will also be playing KK Mega Basket in August.
It'd be nice for Pearl's program to show it's ahead of the reigning champs, who are integrating first-year full-time head coach Mike Boynton, in Greece this summer by showing out more against KK Mega Basket. We'll see if Pearl's rebuilt roster is up to the task.
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