Christian Nicholas Braun (pronounced ; born April 17, 2001) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

and was a starter on the team that won the 2022 NCAA Championship. In

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, 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.

High school career

Braun played basketball for

Blue Valley Northwest High School Blue Valley Northwest High School (BVNW) is a high school in Overland Park, Kansas, United States. Blue Valley Northwest is one of five high schools operated by Blue Valley USD 229 school district. Blue Valley Northwest is a member of the Kansas ...

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. He was named Mr. Kansas Basketball and Kansas

Gatorade Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine playe ...

. He committed to playing college basketball for

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

over offers from Kansas State,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

and

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, among others. On April 4, 2022, the school declared that day Christian Braun Day.

College career

As a freshman at Kansas, Braun averaged 5.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, earning Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors. 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. As a sophomore, Braun averaged 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He was named to the Second Team All- Big 12 as a junior. 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 In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

against the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

, 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. On April 24, 2022, Braun declared for the

2022 NBA draft The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The ...

, while maintaining his college eligibility. He confirmed he would remain in the NBA draft and forego his senior season on May 25, 2022.

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2022–present)

Braun was picked by the

with the 21st overall pick in the

. On July 3, 2022, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets. Braun won his first championship with the Nuggets after they defeated the Miami Heat in the

2023 NBA Finals The 2023 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2022–23 season and conclusion to the season's playoffs. The best-of-seven playoffs was played between the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat ...

. 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 Charles Henry Bibby (born November 24, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the New York Knicks, New Orleans Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Diego Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He al ...

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

, and Billy Thompson.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 76 , , 6 , , 15.5 , , .495 , , .354 , , .625 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .5 , , .2 , , 4.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , , 76 , , 6 , , 15.5 , , .495 , , .354 , , .625 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .5 , , .2 , , 4.7

Playoffs

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, 19 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .533 , , .200 , , .579 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .6 , , .2 , , 3.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 19 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .533 , , .200 , , .579 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .6 , , .2 , , 3.2

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 5 , , 18.4 , , .431 , , .444 , , .731 , , 2.9 , , .5 , , .7 , , .2 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 30 , , 30 , , 31.2 , , .380 , , .340 , , .786 , , 5.2 , , 1.9, , 1.2 , , .4 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 39 , , 34.4 , , .495 , , .386 , , .733 , , 6.5 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 14.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , , 101 , , 74 , , 28.5 , , .449 , , .378 , , .749 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 10.1

Personal life

Braun has two brothers, one older and one younger. His uncle played college basketball at Missouri. His brother, Parker, plays at Kansas. Braun's father 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. Braun launched a fashion line, THE CB2 Collection.

References

External links

Kansas Jayhawks bioThe CB2 Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Christian 2001 births Living people American men's basketball players American people of German descent Basketball players from Kansas Denver Nuggets draft picks Denver Nuggets players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players People from Burlington, Kansas Shooting guards