Auburn star and national player of the year contender Johni Broome left Saturday's game at South Carolina with a gruesome lower leg injury in the second half after landing awkwardly following his attempt to block a shot. Broome leads the No. 2 Tigers in scoring, rebounding, blocks and assists.
The 6-foot-10 big man put no weight on his left foot as he was helped off the floor by members of the Auburn staff. The injury occurred at the 13:45 mark with South Carolina leading 47-45. Broome had six points and three rebounds when he left the game and was later officially declared out, a school official said.
Broome was named a second-team preseason All-American by CBS Sports. He entered Saturday's action ranked second in the SEC in scoring at 18.7 points per game and first in the conference in rebounds (11.2) and blocks (2.7). The former Morehead State star has steadily improved his game during each of his three seasons with the Tigers. Offensively, Broome's game now extends to the 3-point line, and his 3.4 assists per game in the 2024-25 season are a career-high.
Johni Broome lands awkwardly on his teammate and appears to turn his ankle pic.twitter.com/MQFWMR6JO3
— Kyle Boone (@kyletheboone) January 11, 2025
It's not the first time Broome has exited a game this season following an injury scare. Just three minutes into a win over Georgia State last month, Broome checked out with an apparent injury to his right shoulder. He underwent an MRI but was cleared to return for the team's next game against Purdue.
