Follow usNikola Jokic was without a doubt the big star of the NBA Finals, but he wasn’t the only Denver Nuggets player to make history en route to Denver’s championship.
Rookie guard Christian Braun also joined an elite club after becoming just the fifth basketball player in league history to win an NBA title and an NCAA championship in back-to-back years.
In addition to him, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Henry Bibby and Billy Thompson have also accomplished this. Brown was a starter on the University of Kansas team that won the college championship in 2022. He was drafted by the Nuggets at No. 21 last summer, and in his first NBA season, he showed that the Finals is not a big stage for him.
Drafted 21st overall out of Kansas in 2022 and now NBA CHAMPION as a rookie… Christian Braun! pic.twitter.com/dddqiTK6Wi
— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2023
“Rookies like him are rare. From day 1 he has been on top. Christian is a real winner. I say that because he’s always in the right place and always at the right time,” said teammate Aaron Gordon.
Christian appeared in 76 games for Denver, with his highlight coming in Game 3 of the Finals series against the Miami Heat, in which he scored 15 points in 19 minutes of action to become the fourth rookie in the last 20 years with at least 15 points in the finals.
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