It wasn’t just a random fan who grabbed his jersey on Saturday night while he was trying to save a ball from going out of bounds.
No. 16 Auburn star Johni Broome treated him as such, though, and he quickly slapped the courtside fan’s arm away. It wasn’t until a few moments later that Broome realized the fan in question was actually award-winning actor and longtime Ole Miss fan Morgan Freeman.
That immediately sent him into a bit of a panic.
“I thought it was an Ole Miss fan grabbing my jersey, holding on to me,” Broome said after the game, via ESPN’s Myron Medcalf. “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.’”
Freeman, 86, was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but grew up about an hour from Ole Miss’ campus in Oxford. He’s a longtime Rebels fan, and has attended plenty of games over the years.
After the game, Broome made sure to track down Freeman a second time to 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.’
“He’s a very good guy. Love him.”
Though Ole Miss took a 13-point lead just before halftime on Saturday night, the Tigers rallied with a huge second half to grab the 91-77 win. They outscored Ole Miss 56-33 in the second half and shot an incredible 22-of-30 from the field as a team. Jaylin Williams led the Tigers with 16 points, and Broome finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Broome has averaged 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds this season with the Tigers.
The win marked Auburn’s second straight after a two-game losing skid, which included a loss to in-state rival No. 24 Alabama. Those two schools will meet again in Auburn on Wednesday night.
