Sixers rookie Johni Broome discusses VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, legacy

LAS VEGAS -- The Philadelphia 76ers made two selections in the 2025 NBA draft. While the main focus is on No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe, big man Johni Broome has the talent to be a productive player in the league for a long time.

Across five seasons playing first for Morehead State for two seasons before transferring to Auburn, Broome put together a decorated collegiate career. He was named MVP of his conference tournament twice--once with Morehead State and once with Auburn--was named 2025 SEC Player of the Year, and had career averages of 16.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.

As Broome prepares for his NBA career, he sat down with Sixers Wire after a summer league practice in Las Vegas and discussed a variety of topics:

Editor's note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: First of all, talk to me about your summer league so far. What's been your biggest takeaway?

Broome: Just kind of trying to adjust to the NBA play style. The spacing, the speed of it.

Q: The 3-point shot. How important is that for you to become a knockdown shooter? Especially, with the way the game is played today?

Broome: I mean, obviously, being able to knock down open shots is a big part of the NBA today. Especially, when you have guys like (Tyrese) Maxey, Jared (McCain), Paul George, (Joel) Embiid who hit most of the shots, draw a lot of attention. So if you're able to space the floor for those guys, that'd be really crucial.

Q: Your rebounding skills for a young player is impressive. Is there a player you watched growing up to try to emulate? Or was it more film work?

Broome: I watch a lot of film, and then also just coming back and just having to feel for the ball, how it comes off first, comes off the rim. Things like that.

Q: You're joining a team with two veteran big men in Joel and Andre Drummond. What do you feel like you can learn from guys like them?

Broome: I mean, you can learn a lot. One of them was an MVP. One of them was a rebounder leader for multiple years. So, obviously, it's like a lot to learn from them. I'm just gonna soak everything I can in.

Q: Talk to me about Johni Broome off the floor. You're huge on TikTok, so talk to me a little bit about that.

Broome: I mean, I kind of have fun. (smiling) Live life. Kind of show off my personality a little bit. Obviously, on the court, I'm a little bit more stricter, not really so much laughing so off the court, I kind of just be myself.

Q: You ever get the people who are, like, 'Johni! We love your TikToks, man!'?

Broome: Nah. Nah. That’s all Jared!

Sixers Wire: Have you done anything with Jared, yet?

Broome: Nah, not yet.

Q: Obviously, you're coming into this rookie class with VJ. What's stood out to you about him?

Broome: He’s a great guy, great human being. I would say he's a good teammate. He wants to win. He wants to make the right plays. He wants to guard. So I think his level to compete is what stands out the most.

Q: Do you guys ever talk about building that relationship on the court?

Broome: It’s not nothing to talk about. We just kind of, we both want to grow relationships. So, you know, we both make efforts to do things and stuff like that, and grow around each other. So it just happens naturally.

Q: There have been a lot of detractors who, for some reason, criticize you and doubt you can make it work. When considering everything you've accomplished in college, does that surprise you? It doesn't make much sense.

Broome: I mean, I don't really focus on college anymore. I'm in NBA now, so what I did in college don't matter now to this point. So I kind of put that behind me and just focus on NBA now.

Q: Last one for you. I know you haven't even played an official game in the NBA, but let's go 10 years in the future. What do you want people to remember Johni Broome for?

Broome: A winner. Someone makes an impact on winning team.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers rookie Johni Broome discusses VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, legacy