OXFORD, Miss. — Auburn forward Johni Broome felt a fan’s hand on his jersey after he tried to save a basketball from going out of bounds during Saturday’s game. His instinct was to swat the person’s hand away. Then he realized who it was.
The Auburn forward realized it was Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman, who was sitting courtside during the Tigers’ Southeastern Conference game against host Mississippi in Oxford, AL.com reported. Freeman, 86, is a longtime Ole Miss fan and has attended several games, according to CNN. The “Shawshank Redemption” star grew up in Charleston, Mississippi, about an hour from the Ole Miss campus, the Clarion-Ledger reported.
“I kind of got his hand off,” Broome told reporters, according to The Associated Press. “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 won an Oscar for best supporting actor in 2004′s “Million Dollar Baby,” and was nominated for his roles in four other films, including “Street Smart,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Invictus.”
After the game, Broome, who finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks, said he apologized a second time to Freeman and repeated that he was a big fan, ESPN reported.
“I came back out there again, and I’m just like, ‘I’m sorry, again,’” Broome told reporters. “He said, ‘You all good. Just keep playing.’
“He’s a very good guy. Love him.”