During the 2024-25 college basketball season, Johni Broome’s accolades included consensus first-team All-American, the SEC Player of the Year Award, the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player Award, The Sporting News National Player of the Year Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award and the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year Award as he helped Auburn reach the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.
Yet as the 79th NBA Draft draws nearer on June 25-26, it’s not hard to find headlines that tag Broome as a “questionable prospect.”
“I’m going to let the front office make those decisions,” Broome said on Thursday after working out for the Golden State Warriors. “I’m going to keep going, playing basketball and finding ways to win for my team and find ways to get it done. Whoever picks me will get a good player, a dog, somebody who’s going to contribute to winning.”
The Warriors were No. 7 on Broome’s pre-draft tour of the NBA. He also met with the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors, and he has workouts scheduled with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns before the NBA convenes in Brooklyn to pick players.
Broome said he had gotten “good feedback from coaches” during the process.
“They just wanted to see me continue to showcase my playmaking, do what I’m good at and kind of find my niche in the league,” Broome said, “whether that’s rebounding or defending or making the open shot. Kind of find what I’m good at and stick to it and kind of allow my game to grow over the years that I’m in the league.”
In his final season at Auburn, Broome averaged 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 blocked shots in 36 games. He led the SEC in rebounds and blocked shots. His 389 rebounds set a school single-season record, and Broome leaves the Tigers ranked second in rebounds, third in blocked shots and eighth in points in Auburn history.
Broome played three seasons at Auburn after starting his college career with two seasons at Morehead State. As he heads into the NBA Draft, Broome said what he was carrying with him from Tigers coach Bruce Pearl was “just to keep my motor running. That’s the thing he always told me to do: Just keep my motor running. Try to play like a 6-4 wing instead of a 7-foot big. Kind of get the loose ball. Just go get the ball basically.”
A 6-foot-10 frontcourter, Broome listed Isaiah Hartenstine as his NBA comp. The 7-foot center is concluding his seventh season in the NBA Finals with the Thunder after averaging 11.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game during the regular season.
“I think that my ability to go get the ball off the glass offensively and defensively,” Broome said when asked which part of his game would best translate to the NBA. “I averaged close to 11 rebounds a game this year, and, obviously, rebounding wins basketball game. Rebounding gives you more possessions and gives guys like Steph Curry the chance to shoot the ball more.”
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.
