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The Language-based app Duolingo trolled Brome, who recorded an unimpressive jump of 24.5 inches during testing drills.
Johni Broome. (X)
A subpar vertical jump at the NBA Draft combine drew heavy social media jeering towards Johni Broome as he became a feast for the trolls on Thursday, May 15. Brome, the Auburn Star, recorded an unimpressive jump of 24.5 inches during testing drills and became one of the draft prospects to disappoint at the event. While many fans criticised the basketball player, the meanest comment was directed at him by the Language-based app Duolingo.
The company’s social media account quoted a video of Broome’s unsuccessful attempt to reach the mark with his unsatisfying leap and wrote, “Learn Chinese and try Super Duolingo today!” The nasty remarks were a reference that NBA fans would’ve understood. They alluded to a popular meme that originated back in 2022, when a graphic circulating on social media claimed a fake quote from NBA chairman Adam Silver.
According to the meme that had gone viral, Silver was quoted as saying, “Get ready to learn Chinese, buddy”, which was warning by the NBA chairman to all the players whose conduct was a problem for the league or their performances not warranting a place in their respective sides, with suggestions to leave and play professional basketball overseas. Duolingo asked Broome to learn Chinese on their app so that he might have a chance of securing a basketball league in China.
The Duolingo tweet instantly caught the fans’ attention as they flooded the comments section with jeering remarks of their own against Broome, whose disappointing vertical jump they found way short of a standing vertical jump of 35.5 inches by projected No.1 Copper Flagg. Several others also pointed out his leap was shorter than even Florida’s heavy defensive tackle, Desmond Watson. Watson weighs 464 pounds and jumped 25 inches at the NFL Combine.
Notably, Broom was one of the finest players in college basketball last season and was a strong candidate for the Naismith National Player of the Year award that Flagg eventually won. The 22-year-old averaged 18.6 with 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks to help Auburn enjoy a 32-6 record and storm into the NCAA tournament’s final four. But even at his best, the 6-foot-10 youngster’s athleticism was a concern for the draft analysts and his latest jump at the NBA draft wouldn’t have helped those perceptions. Broome might still be picked at the second draft of the event to be held later on.
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