February 7, 2024

Auburn Basketball Player Pushes Morgan Freeman’s Hand Away Before Realizing Who He Was

“But I realized it was him and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m a big fan. I’m sorry,’ said Auburn forward Johni Broome

During a basketball game, fans on the sideline often try to distract opposing players. On the other hand, some fans just want attention and/or acknowledgment from the athletes they cheer on. Yet, one Auburn player got a surprise when he batted away a person’s hand before realizing that the spectator was Morgan Freeman.

According to CNN, during a recent contest between Auburn University and the University of Mississippi, Auburn forward Johni Broome felt a tug on his basketball jersey, and without hesitation or merely because of reflexes, he swatted that fan’s hand away from him, thinking it was a Mississippi fan trying to rattle him. After glancing back, he then realized that it was not an ordinary fan; it was the legendary actor.

“I thought it was an Ole Miss fan grabbing my jersey, holding on to me,” Broome said to reporters after the game was over. “I kind of got his hand off. I saw who it was, and I’m a big movie guy. I probably watched one of his movies on the plane coming here.

“But I realized it was him, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m a big fan. I’m sorry.’ He said, ‘Just keep playing.’”

Broome said that after the revelation that it was Freeman, he had to go back and apologize again.

“I came back out there again, and I’m just like, ‘I’m sorry, again’” Broome said. “He said, ‘You all good. Just keep playing.’”

Oh! And Morgan Freeman’s biggest fan pic.twitter.com/gXRqMUhlIx

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 4, 2024

Maybe Freeman was that fan trying to get Broome off his game. After all, Broome, who scored 15 points (all in the second half), grabbed nine rebounds, dished out seven assists, and had three blocks for his team, which helped them pull out the victory by winning 91-77. The defeat snapped Ole Miss’ unbeaten streak of 14 games at home.