Johni Broome is catching some heat over his embarrassing vertical leap.
Broome participated in the NBA Draft Combine on Tuesday. He delivered a standing vertical jump of 24.5 inches.
Johni Broome standing vertical leap at the NBA draft combine pic.twitter.com/QukK4zz78A
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2025
Keep in mind that players do not get to take a step and build momentum towards a jump for that drill, so the measurements tend to come in low for players. It also didn’t matter to fans that there were other players at the combine who had a lower leap than Broome. Broome became the face of memes over his jump. Specifically, fans kept pointing out that 464-pound offensive lineman Desmond Watson had a higher vertical jump measurement than Broome.
Desmond Watson has a higher vertical than Johni Broome 😭
— Florida Gators 🐊🔥 (@gatorsszn) May 14, 2025
Watson weighs 464 IBS.
Broome weighs 240 IBS.
Wow 🤯 pic.twitter.com/okqqGhc905
Desmond Watson is 6'6" and weighs 464 pounds.
— Underdog (@Underdog) May 14, 2025
He logged a higher vertical leap than Johni Broome 😅 pic.twitter.com/ELxZiQfMAJ
17 PTS 🔋 8 REB 🔋 2 AST@AuburnMBB big man Johni Broome with a dominant showing on Day 2 of #EliteCamp! pic.twitter.com/5O3iw4w8v3
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) May 15, 2023
The internet can be a cruel, cruel place — and context is often omitted.
Broome is listed at 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds. He began his college career at Morehead State before transferring to Auburn, where he spent the last three seasons. Broome averaged 18.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game last season, so NBA teams might give more weight to that rather than his jumps.
