13 June 2023
DENVER (KSNT)- Former KU guard Christian Braun is a champion once agian.
The Former Jayhawk won an NBA title in his first year in the league. Braun and the Nuggets defeated the Heat 94-89 in Game 5 of the NBA finals to win the series 4-1.
Braun becomes just the fifth player all-time to win an NCAA Championship and a NBA Championship in back-to-back years. He joins the elite company of:
Bill Russell
Magic Johnson
Henry Bibby
Billy Thompson
Braun is the first player since 1987 to accomplish this feat.
Braun’s former coach Bill Self was in attendance to see him win it all.
The Jayhawk alumnus played quality minutes in the finals, too. In game 5 he logged 24 minutes and scored seven points.
Braun played a full 40 minutes and scored 12 points when KU beat North Carolina in the National Championship game in 2022.
He’s a Burlington, Kansas native and played high school basketball at Blue Valley Northwest in Overland Park. Winning is not new for CB. He won three state titles with the Huskies before coming to KU.