Two seasons ago, the Golden State Warriors outlasted the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals and former Kansas Jayhawk, Andrew Wiggins, was added to the list of former KU players to secure an NBA championship ring. Last season, the Denver Nuggets won their first NBA title and Christian Braun had a huge impact, making it back-to-back years that a former Jayhawk was a key piece to winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Fast forward to June 17th, 2024 and another KU hooper has continued the streak in Svi Mykhailiuk, as the Celtics finished off the Dallas Mavericks in five games, securing their 18th title.
While Wiggins and Braun may have seen more court time in their respective runs than Mykhailiuk, the 27-year-old Ukrainian will not have any complaints. Mykhailiuk appeared in eight playoff games with the Celtics, recording 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in his 33 minutes on the floor. The 6’7” shooting guard also appeared in 41 regular season games for Boston, averaging 4.0 PPG, 1.2 RPG, and 0.9 APG. This included a 26-point (10-13 shooting), 5-rebound, and 5-assist performance in the final game of the regular season.
Despite having fewer minutes than some previous Jayhawk champions, any Celtics player, coach, or fan, would attest to the fact that Mykhailiuk was amazing to have on the team this year. Just like when he played at Lawrence for four years, Svi is a tremendous locker room guy. Additionally, when his name was called, he always stepped up, shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc this year and providing energy everytime he was on the floor.
Who will be the next former Jayhawk to win an NBA title and keep the streak alive?