Former Jayhawk Christian Braun and the Denver Nuggets reach first NBA Finals

Christian Braun is no stranger to winning championships. In fact, it was only a little over one year ago when he won a national championship at Kansas.

Now, he has a golden opportunity to win another in just his first season in the NBA.

Last night, Braun and the Denver Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals to reach their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.

Although Braun played sparingly in the Lakers series, he was a key contributor off the bench in both the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves and in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Phoenix Suns – averaging more than 12 minutes of playing time in both series.

On the season, Braun has averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 49.5% from the field.

Braun, picked No. 21 overall by the Nuggets in the 2022 NBA Draft, was never expected to be a major contributor in his rookie season. However, the former Jayhawk has impressed plenty in the opportunities he’s been given.

If Braun can continue to show this kind of defensive effort, there’s no question he could see the floor in the finals next week.

Whatever contributions he can give the Nuggets will be welcome as they look to bring home their first championship in the franchise’s 56-year history.

And what a special feat that would be for Braun, who would join a select group of players to win both an NCAA and NBA title. What’s even more impressive is that Braun could become just the fifth player in history to win an NCAA championship and NBA championship in back-to-back years.

There’s a lot of history at stake for Braun and the entire Nuggets franchise next week. Rest assured, Jayhawk fans will be throwing in their full support for their beloved former champion.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday, June 1, on ABC.