76ers draft Broome, Suns land Fleming in Round 2

NEW YORK -- Johni Broome dreamed of being drafted in the NBA as a kid and then working hard enough to make it possible.

So the fact that it didn't happen until the second round and a second day wasn't going to dampen his enthusiasm.

The Auburn All-American was taken by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 35 pick Thursday night, five selections into the second round of the 2025 NBA draft.

"Being here, this is probably the most exciting moment of my life so far," Broome said. "As a kid you always want to be drafted, hear your name called, put on the hat. So kind of going through the moment, I don't know, it just feels surreal."

The draft resumed Thursday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn -- though a much smaller portion was used than for Wednesday's first round -- with a trade, and the deals kept coming throughout the second round.

The Phoenix Suns opened it by taking Rasheer Fleming after agreeing to acquire the pick earlier Thursday from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Wolves still made the No. 31 selection, but Phoenix and Minnesota had worked out the swap a few hours earlier. Fleming became aware of the situation shortly before he was selected on his second trip to Barclays Center in two nights after attending the first round Wednesday.

"It was a long day now that I think about it," Fleming said. "But like everything has happened so fast -- like, this was a great experience. Like, it's kind of a crazy feeling. Not even kind of. Crazy feeling."

Fleming, a forward from Saint Joseph's, averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season, ranking in the top four in the Atlantic 10 in rebounds and blocks.

Among the familiar names going early in the second round were Broome; Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, the four-time Big East Defensive Player of Year, who was selected one pick earlier by the Charlotte Hornets at No. 34; and Marquette All-American Kam Jones, whose rights were acquired by the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers after he was taken 38th by the San Antonio Spurs.

Charlotte also took Sion James at No. 33, and the Cleveland Cavaliers picked Tyrese Proctor at 49, giving Duke all five of its starters being taken after Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach went in the top 10.

The Dallas Mavericks, who selected Flagg with the No. 1 pick Wednesday, did not have a selection when Round 2 began. They had the option to try to trade in, and a number of other teams moved around as the draft went on.

The Orlando Magic were one of them, acquiring the draft rights to French forward Noah Penda at No. 32 from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Nos. 46 and 57, a second-round pick in 2026 and another in 2027. Orlando still owns four first-round picks and nine second-rounders over the next seven years.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound Penda offers inside-out versatility and defensive potential. The 20-year-old averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 33 games last year in France's top league.

The Los Angeles Lakers also moved up, agreeing to acquire the rights to Adou Thiero, the 36th pick from Arkansas, from the Timberwolves in exchange for the No. 45 pick and cash. Because the Lakers sent out cash in the deal, they will be required to stay below the second apron next season.

The league began using the two-night format last year, believing the event was ending too late when all 60 picks, along with approving trades, were being done in one night.

Teams like the new system, with the ability to catch their breath and evaluate after the first round, but the players' side doesn't enjoy the potentially lengthy wait for those who are on the fringe of the first round but then have to wait another night if they tumble into the second.

The draft had 59 picks this time, with the New York Knicks having been penalized their second-round selection for tampering by negotiating with Jalen Brunson too soon before eventually signing the guard away from Dallas in 2022.

The NBA points to the success of players such as Brunson, who became an All-NBA selection in New York, and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets when touting the types of difference-makers who could come out of the second round.

Broome might become one of those players. The runner-up to Flagg for The Associated Press men's college basketball national player of the year award was banged-up late in the season after leading the Tigers to the Final Four, and that might have led to some poor testing at the NBA combine.

But Broome has believed he was an NBA player ever since his Morehead State team played against powerhouse Kentucky earlier in his career and he held his own. He believes he can do the same when he gets to camp with Joel Embiid and the 76ers.

"I'm excited for the first day I get in Philly," Broome said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.