American basketball player (born 2001)
Christian Nicholas Braun
(
BROWN
;
[1]
born April 17, 2001) is an American professional
basketball
player for the
Denver Nuggets
of the
National Basketball Association
(NBA). He played
college basketball
at the
University of Kansas
and was a starter on the team that won the
2022 NCAA championship
. In
2023
, he contributed to the Nuggets winning their first NBA title, becoming the fifth player in basketball history to win
NCAA
and NBA titles in back-to-back seasons.
[2]
High school career
[
edit
]
Braun played basketball for
Blue Valley Northwest High School
in
Overland Park, Kansas
. As a senior, he averaged 27.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, leading his team to a third straight Class 6A state title.
[3]
[4]
He was named
Mr. Kansas Basketball
and Kansas
Gatorade Player of the Year
.
[5]
He committed to playing college basketball for
Kansas
over offers from
Kansas State
,
Illinois
and
Missouri
, among others.
[6]
On April 4, 2022, the school declared that day Christian Braun Day.
[7]
College career
[
edit
]
As a freshman at Kansas, Braun averaged 5.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, earning
Big 12
All-Freshman Team honors.
[8]
On November 27, 2020, he recorded a career-high 30 points, nine rebounds and four steals in a 94?72 win over
Saint Joseph's
.
[9]
As a sophomore, Braun averaged 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
[10]
He was named to the Second Team All-Big 12 as a junior.
[11]
In the
Final Four
against
Villanova
, he became the 65th player to reach 1,000 points for Kansas, finishing that game with 10 points and helping the Jayhawks reach the championship. In the
championship game
against the
North Carolina Tar Heels
, he had 12 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season, which helped Kansas rally from a 40?25 halftime deficit. In the final possession of that game, he defended
Caleb Love
's three-point attempt, sealing the win and giving him his first NCAA title.
[12]
On April 24, 2022, Braun declared for the
2022 NBA draft
, while maintaining his college eligibility.
[13]
He confirmed he would remain in the NBA draft and forego his senior season on May 25, 2022.
[14]
Professional career
[
edit
]
Denver Nuggets (2022?present)
[
edit
]
Braun was picked by the
Denver Nuggets
with the 21st overall pick in the
2022 NBA draft
. On July 3, 2022, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets.
[15]
Braun won his first championship with the Nuggets after they defeated the
Miami Heat
in the
2023 NBA Finals
.
[16]
He became the fifth player in NBA history to win a NCAA and NBA championship in back-to-back seasons, alongside
Bill Russell
,
Henry Bibby
,
Magic Johnson
and
Billy Thompson
.
[2]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Regular season
[
edit
]
Playoffs
[
edit
]
College
[
edit
]
[17]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Braun has two brothers, one older and one younger.
[18]
His uncle played college basketball at Missouri. His older brother, Parker, plays at Kansas. Braun's father Donny was a former
walk-on
at Kansas, while his mother, along with her twin sister, also played at Missouri. His mother's family was inducted into the
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
.
[19]
Braun has launched a fashion line, The CB2 Collection.
[20]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Corr, Joseph (June 6, 2023).
"Christian Braun pronunciation, explained: Is Nuggets rookie 'Brown' or 'Bron'?"
.
sportingnews.com
. Retrieved
June 17,
2023
.
Despite its spelling, Braun's surname is pronounced 'Brown' like the color. Below is a clip of the Nuggets rookie on draft day correctly pronouncing his name as he talks about delivering a banner to the Nuggets franchise.
- ^
a
b
Wimbish, Jasmyn (2023-06-13).
"Nuggets' Christian Braun fifth player in basketball history to win NCAA, NBA titles in back-to-back seasons"
.
CBSSports.com
. Retrieved
2024-04-07
.
- ^
Bedore, Gary (July 10, 2019).
"Braun fitting in well during summer session at KU: 'He really wants to learn'
"
.
The Wichita Eagle
. Retrieved
May 29,
2021
.
- ^
Peterson, Rick (March 16, 2019).
"Three-time state champ Christian Braun turns focus to future at Kansas"
.
The Topeka Capital-Journal
. Retrieved
May 29,
2021
.
- ^
Chasen, Scott (May 1, 2019).
"KBCA picks KU signee Christian Braun as Mr. Kansas Basketball"
.
247Sports
. Retrieved
May 29,
2021
.
- ^
Bedore, Gary (September 17, 2018).
"Blue Valley NW's Christian Braun commits to KU. "It's always been a dream for me."
"
.
The Kansas City Star
. Retrieved
May 29,
2021
.
- ^
Schmidt, Heidi (2022-04-05).
"KU's Christian Braun honored by former high school"
.
KSNT 27 News
. Retrieved
2022-04-05
.
- ^
Lance, Sam (October 30, 2020).
"KU men's basketball guard Christian Braun looks to make impact, build on freshman season"
.
The University Daily Kansan
. Retrieved
May 29,
2021
.
- ^
"Small ball, Christian Braun help KU basketball race past Saint Joseph's 94-72"
.
The Topeka Capital-Journal
. November 27, 2020
. Retrieved
May 29,
2021
.
- ^
"#2 Christian Braun, Guard"
.
Kansas Athletics
. 10 July 2019
. Retrieved
May 29,
2021
.
- ^
Guskey, Jordan (March 8, 2022).
"Kansas basketball's Ochai Agbaji named AP's Big 12 player of the year and he's not the only one getting honors"
.
The Topeka Capital-Journal
. Retrieved
March 10,
2022
.
- ^
Boyer, Zac (2022-04-05).
"Christian Braun's big stop helps Kansas hold off North Carolina for title"
.
KUsports.com
. Retrieved
2022-04-05
.
- ^
Givony, Jonathan (April 24, 2022).
"Kansas Jayhawks' Christian Braun to enter NBA draft but maintain college eligibility"
.
ESPN.com
. Retrieved
April 24,
2022
.
- ^
Cisneros, Juan (May 25, 2022).
"Former Jayhawk Christian Braun to remain in NBA Draft"
. fox4kc.com
. Retrieved
June 1,
2022
.
- ^
"Nuggets Sign Braun and Watson"
.
NBA.com
. July 3, 2022
. Retrieved
April 11,
2023
.
- ^
Pagaduan, Jedd (June 13, 2023).
"Nuggets: Christian Braun joins Magic Johnson in exclusive Finals club"
.
ClutchPoints
. Retrieved
April 7,
2024
.
- ^
"Christian Braun NCAA Stats"
.
ESPN.com
. Retrieved
November 29,
2023
.
- ^
Eldridge, Taylor (April 8, 2022).
"Christian Braun's rise to championship with Jayhawks rooted in small-town Kansas"
.
The Kansas City Star
. Retrieved
April 10,
2022
.
- ^
Battle, Bill (December 20, 2020).
"Braun Brothers Have Local Ties"
.
Washington Missourian
. Retrieved
May 29,
2021
.
- ^
Tait, Matt (February 15, 2022).
"KU junior Christian Braun releases apparel line bearing his name | Tale of the Tait | KUsports.com"
.
KUsports.com
. Retrieved
2022-04-05
.
External links
[
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]
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