Latest news with #JohniBroome
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
76ers Sign Former McDonald's All-American After NBA Draft
76ers Sign Former McDonald's All-American After NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Philadelphia 76ers used the No. 3 pick to select Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, then selected Auburn center Johni Broome at No. 35 in the second round. Advertisement They seemed set, firmly building around their veteran core and rising young guard Tyrese Maxey. Along similar lines, they made news again on Thursday. Shortly after the second round closed, the Sixers moved fast. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, 'Wake Forest's Hunter Sallis has agreed to a two‑way NBA contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.' A former McDonald's All‑American, Sallis began at Gonzaga with a limited role over two seasons before transferring to Wake Forest. There, he earned First‑Team All‑ACC honors twice (2024, 2025) and averaged approximately 18 points per game both seasons. Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images His junior year boasted an efficient 40% three‑point shooting, but it dipped to 27.7% in his final season, likely contributing to his undrafted status. Advertisement Still, Sallis brought elite athleticism, a 6‑foot‑5 frame, 6‑10 wingspan, plus solid mid‑range scoring and finishing at the rim. The two‑way deal gives Sallis a chance in both the NBA and the G‑League. He'll join Alex Reese on two‑way duties as Philadelphia boosts its guard depth. Summer League will be his proving ground. For the Sixers, this move reflects Philadelphia's president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey's track record of identifying undrafted talent. If Sallis can recover his deep shooting and maintain his scoring aggressiveness, he offers upside as a secondary ball‑handler and perimeter scorer. As John Fanta of Fox Sports noted, it's 'a very good undrafted pickup.' Advertisement All eyes move to training camp and the Summer League. If Sallis shows improved three‑point consistency and court awareness, he may earn a full roster spot. Related: WNBA Player Loses Tooth After Taking Brutal Elbow This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auburn Reacts to Johni Broome Being Selected in Second Round of NBA Draft
Auburn Reacts to Johni Broome Being Selected in Second Round of NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Auburn Tigers reached the Final Four this past season, and they couldn't have done it without star big man Johni Broome — one of the top players not just in the SEC, but in all of college basketball. Advertisement Fast forward to the second night of the NBA draft, and Broome was officially selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 35 overall pick. With the ongoing health concerns surrounding Sixers center Joel Embiid, Broome could play a significant role right away. Following the announcement, Auburn quickly reacted to the news of Broome heading to the City of Brotherly Love. "Big time! Johni is heading to the City of Brotherly Love!" Auburn posted. Auburn fans shared their excitement as one of the best players in program history saw his NBA dream become a reality. "This Sixers fan is pumped!! War Eagle!!" A fan said. Advertisement Another fan posted, "Woohoo! So happy for Johni!" Someone else added, "Philadelphia made a very good decision- Johni is a beast." One more fan commented, "Well done, Johni!" Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4).Brett Davis-Imagn Images Broome, a 6-foot-10 forward, is known for his elite ability to use his frame to create space and track down rebounds off the rim. He began his college career at Morehead State, where he spent two seasons before transferring to Auburn for his final three. This past season, Broome helped lead Auburn to an SEC regular-season title, averaging 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and an impressive 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 51.0% from the field. He now joins the 76ers alongside No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe, selected out of Baylor. Advertisement Related: VJ Edgecombe Doesn't Hesitate With Message on 76ers This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auburn's perfect reaction after 76ers draft Johni Broome
The post Auburn's perfect reaction after 76ers draft Johni Broome appeared first on ClutchPoints. On Wednesday, Auburn basketball standout Johni Broome was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. The second-round pick received special recognition from his alma mater on their X page. Advertisement 'Big time! Johni is heading to the City of Brotherly Love!' Auburn posted. Broome finished his career at Auburn (2022-2025) with numerous accomplishments. Among his honors included being named the SEC Player of the Year, a Sporting News Player of the Year, and earning All-American honors. Broome was also a Karl Malone Award Finalist and was named to the SEC All-Tournament team. This past year, Auburn made it to the Final Four before losing to the eventual champion, the Florida Gators, 79-73. Broome finished the season averaging 18.6 points and 10.8 rebounds. Before attending Auburn, he studied at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, from 2020 to 2022. Advertisement He tore his ACL during a practice, which delayed the start of his first season. Eventually, Broome became a nine-time Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week, as well as the OVC Tournament MVP. In the conference title game, he scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in an 86-71 win over Belmont. In his first year, Broome averaged 13.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. What Johni Broome brings from Auburn to the 76ers Additionally, Broome will join VJ Edgecombe on the 76ers. He will also play with veterans Joel Embiid, Kyle Lowry, Paul George, and Andre Drummond. In terms of skills, Broome brings with him the notion of being a complete player. He can score and rebound, has an intense basketball IQ, and is an effective playmaker. Advertisement There are even attempts to draw a comparison between Broome and contemporary players. At the NBA Combine, Broome evoked comparisons to Nikola Jokić despite registering a low vertical jump of 24.5 inches. Jokic had the lowest vertical jump at 17 inches. Among the areas needing improvement include versatility, shooting consistency, and defensive quickness. Related: Kansas basketball's Hunter Dickinson lands with West team after NBA draft Related: Arkansas Razorbacks HC John Calipari's heartfelt reaction to Adou Thiero's NBA journey
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Sixers' Johni Broome discusses chip on his shoulder amid 2nd round slip
Asked Johni Broome about falling to the 2nd round despite a decorated college career at Auburn. The big man is ready to prove some people wrong #Sixers: CAMDEN, N.J. -- When one looks at the college career of Philadelphia 76ers rookie big man Johni Broome, one cannot help but be impressed. After two seasons at Morehead State, he transferred to Auburn and dominated in the SEC. He averaged 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.2 blocks in his three seasons with the Tigers and took home a handful of awards including the 2025 SEC Player of the Year. He was named to AP All-American Third Team in 2024 and then made First Team in 2025. Broome is Auburn's all-time leader in offensive and defensive rebounds, No. 1 in Box Plus-Minus, third in blocks, eighth in total field goals, and first in offensive win shares. However, he slid in the draft to the Sixers at No. 35 in the second round. That has to be a big chip on his shoulder. "I don't really put too much where I got picked at vs. who picked me," Broome said succinctly. "Obviously, the 76ers felt like I was the right pick for their team so I'm always gonna have a chip on my shoulder wherever I got picked at so I'm ready to work and prove people wrong." Broome is a burly 6-foot-10 and is strong as an ox. Despite not being the most athletic or biggest guy on the floor, he is a super talented big man who can make plays with his passing as well as a scorer. He averaged 3.7 offensive rebounds per game in 2024-25 as he just knows how to make winning plays. That type of winning pedigree is what will make him successful in the NBA. "I think we're here to play basketball," Broome said. "They (the Sixers) thought I was a good basketball. All the things that go inside of it can be taken however you wanna take it, but at the end of the day, we're still playing basketball so I think I contribute to winning. I'm a good teammate. I'm a good guy to have in an organization so I think that's why they chose a guy like me." Some rookies enter the NBA at 18 or 19 years old after one, maybe two years in college. Broome will be 23 years old when the season starts so combine that with his five years at the collegiate level and he has a level of maturity that other rookies just don't have. Playing all of those years in college helped him mature as a person and as a basketball player. "I think it just matured me in ways that my game needed to grow," Broome added. "There were areas that needed improvement, but I think it allowed me to kinda face adversity so maybe when times get tough or I've been through times where I'm not shooting well or I've lost a game or two in a row so I know how to kind of overcome that and bounce back so you can't just get in your head too much." Your 2025 Philadelphia 76ers rookie class #Sixers Early in his collegiate career, Broome--like every young player--needed to grow and mature. Those five years in college helped him in that department and will allow him to carry that maturity to the NBA level. "I think that's mainly what those years have helped my game with," Broome finished. "Because when I was a little younger, I was maybe, I don't know, took it a little differently I'll say." He may have slid to Round 2 of the draft, but Broome is ready to prove everybody wrong with the Sixers.
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Johni Broome was a college force at Auburn. He'll start his NBA journey as a 2nd-round draft pick
Johni Broome was a college basketball headliner at Auburn, the Associated Press first-team All-American an undeniable force powering the Tigers to the Final Four. His NBA journey is coming with less fanfare. The fifth-year big man went to the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 35 pick in Thursday's second round of the draft. If offered an example of how elite college production doesn't always equate to high-end NBA potential or draft status, particularly when it comes to an older player deemed more of a finished product compared to the youngster with rising upside. Still, the player ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas described simply as a winner is tough, tested and eager to start his pro pursuit all the same. 'I think what he said was right,' Broome said of Bilas during Thursday's ESPN broadcast. 'I'm a winner. I get things done, offensively and defensively, so the Sixers got a good one.' The 6-foot-9, 249-pound Broome — who started his career as an unheralded recruit for two years at Morehead State — averaged 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last year for Auburn, which started the year at No. 11 in the AP Top 25 poll but immediately climbed to a top-5 status it wouldn't yield for the rest of the year behind Broome's brilliance. That included eight straight weeks ranked at No. 1 from mid-January to early March. Broome stuffed box scores so thoroughly that he was the player of the year in a rugged Southeastern Conference, which was hands down the nation's top conference and produced a record 14 bids to the NCAA Tournament. And he finished as runner-up for AP national player of the year to Duke freshman and eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg in what was a true two-man spotlight this season, with Broome collecting a third of the vote as the only other player named on a ballot. He pushed the Tigers program to only its second trip to college basketball's biggest stage, grinding through an elbow injury suffered during the Elite Eight win against Michigan State and then being hampered by it during the loss to eventual champion Florida in the national semifinals a week later. That all seemingly had him positioned to be a first-round prospect who led Auburn to 59 wins in the past two years alone. NBA evaluations, however, are different. Broome lacks elite athleticism. His testing and measurements at the combine didn't help his first-round chances; he had a 28-inch max vertical leap, tied for second worst at the combine, while only six players posted a lower standing vertical leap (24.0). He also finished tied for fourth-worst in the shuttle run (3.23 seconds) designed to test agility. Numbers aren't everything, of course. Maryland big man Derik Queen tied Broome for the second-worst max vertical and still went on to go late in the lottery (No. 13). But Queen is the still-developing prospect growing into his upside at 20 years old and with just 36 games of college experience, compared to Broome being the as-is prospect who turns 23 on July 19 after playing 168 college games. When it comes to his game, he plays more below the rim and lacks the defense-stretching range essential in today's game built around floor-spacing. His jumper is rated as 'below average" in Synergy's analytics rankings, with him making 27.1% to rank in the 25th percentile — with most of those attempts coming in catch-and-shoot situations. That underlying data aligns with his outside-shooting statistics, where Broome made just 31.4% of his 3-point attempts (53 of 169) over the last two seasons and had at least two made 3s in just 15 of 71 games. He was at his best in post-ups, as a cutter, working as the roll man in pick-and-rolls and attacking the offensive glass, ranking 'good' to 'very good' in all of those categories in Synergy. He also ranked as 'very good' in finishing layups and dunks at the rim, converting 65.9% of those attempts to rank in the 81st percentile. Metrics aside, there's a place in the NBA for guys who can rebound and defend with toughness. He's already proven he can, along with putting in the work going back to being a three-star signee with Morehead State. 'He may not be an above-the-rim big guy, but he carves out space and he gets things done,' Bilas said during the broadcast. 'A really productive player that has been overlooked before and has come through.' ___
