Christian Braun played 101 games for the University of Kentucky between 2019 and 2022. In those 101 games, Braun averaged 10.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. However, he came into his own in his junior season, averaging 14.1 points as he helped Kansas win their first national championship since 2008. Subsequently, he went 21st overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, joining the Denver Nuggets. Per SB Nation: “Love this pick for the Nuggets. Braun plays with great intensity, can get after it at the point of attack defensively, and has even more shooting upside than his college numbers show. He was a key part of a national title team at Kansas, and should be able to contribute right away for a Nuggets team with title aspirations this year.”
Braun played in 76 games for the Nuggets in his rookie season, averaging 4.7 points in 15.5 minutes per game. He has played sparingly during the playoffs but saw upwards of 13 minutes against the Suns in the second round. However, with the Nuggets in the NBA Finals (and the heavy favorites to win), Braun has the chance to do something that only five other players have done in history.
Braun Could Join The Likes Of Magic And Russell
If the Nuggets win the NBA Finals, that would mean Braun would have won an NCAA and NBA title in back-to-back seasons. While you might think that, given the number of players drafted every year, it would be a fairly common occurrence, it has only happened five times in NBA history. This is in part due to the large parity at the college level. However, it has happened just five times.
The first player to complete the feat was Arnie Ferrin, who won a National Championship with Utah in 1948 before winning the NBA title with the Lakers in 1949. He has since been joined by Bill Russell (1957), Henry Bibby (1973), Magic Johnson (1980), and most recently Billy Thompson (1987). That's a very impressive list of names for the rookie to join if the Nuggets are able to beat the Heat. The NBA Finals begin in Denver on June 1.
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