Johni Broome was the runner-up to Cooper Flagg as the national player of the year in college basketball at Auburn. However, his ability to translate to the NBA is up for debate.
The 22-year-old did not help his case with his vertical leap at the NBA Draft Combine on Tuesday. He caught a vicious stray from Duolingo because it was so bad.
Broome, one of the biggest stars in college basketball last season, will likely get drafted into the National Basketball Association. He projects as a late-first round or early-second round pick to a team in need of an interior finisher like the Pistons or the Pacers, among others. It would be a surprise if he snuck his way into the lottery slots or fell out of the second round all together. The 23-41 range feels about right.
Regardless of where Johni Broome does end up, there are concerns about his shooting, playmaking ability and overall athleticism— as well as a history of injuries. Although he is a strong in the paint as both a scorer and a rebounder, his three-point range is practically nonexistent, he does not drive to the hoop, he is slow with his first step and he lacks polish on the handle.
Broome was able to exploit mismatches in college. That might be tough as a pro. We’ll see.
In addition to the questions about his game, Broome is not the most explosive athlete. He dealt with injuries to his knees and his ankles throughout his senior season. He weighs ~250 pounds at ~6-foot-10.
I don’t know if it is his size or his injuries are the issue, but Broome struggled to get up during the standing vertical leap portion of the NBA Draft Combine. His first two attempts looked much better than the video that has since gone viral, but he only recorded a standing vert of 24.5 inches.
Johni Broome standing vertical leap at the NBA draft combine pic.twitter.com/QukK4zz78A
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2025
To be fair, a standing vertical leap does not indicate whether a college player will be good in the NBA. Nikola Jokic measured at 17 inches and he’s one of the greatest of all-time.
Maybe Johni Broome will follow a similar path. Maybe not. If it is the latter, he could end up playing overseas if the NBA does not work out. Duolingo thinks it is inevitable. The language app absolute roasted him in response to the viral vertical video.
Learn Chinese and try Super Duolingo today!
— @duolingo / X
OOF! Broome is not the first person to be on the wrong end of Duolingo’s wrath and he won’t be the last, but that’s gotta hurt. Shots fired. Pow pow.
Perhaps this brutal mockery will fuel Johni Broome’s fire. How funny would it be if he one day calls out the app after he is named MVP of the NBA Finals? We live in the wildest timeline!