Christian Braun

This article is about the basketball player. For the soldier, see Christian Braun (soldier).

Not to be confused with Christian Brown.

Christian Nicolas Braun (/braʊn/ BROWN;^[1] born April 17, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Christian Braun

Braun after winning the 2023 NBA Finals
No. 0 – Denver Nuggets
Position	Shooting guard
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(2001-04-17) April 17, 2001 (age 24) Burlington, Kansas, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kansas)
College	Kansas (2019–2022)
NBA draft	2022: 1st round, 21st overall pick
Drafted by	Denver Nuggets
Playing career	2022–present
Career history
2022–present	Denver Nuggets
Career highlights
NBA champion (2023) NCAA champion (2022) Second-team All-Big 12 (2022) Big 12 All-Freshman Team (2020) Mr. Kansas Basketball (2019)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

A Kansas native, Braun won Mr. Kansas Basketball in 2019 and played collegiately for the Kansas Jayhawks. Braun started for the Jayhawks squad that won the 2022 NCAA Division I championship and was a projected first round selection in the 2022 NBA draft, in which he was selected 21st overall by the Denver Nuggets.

During his rookie season, Braun became a key role player in the Nuggets 2023 NBA Finals run, helping the franchise and superstar player Nikola Jokić win their first NBA championship against the Miami Heat, becoming the fifth player in basketball history to win NCAA and NBA titles in back-to-back seasons.^[2] As of May 2025, Braun is the holder of three 6A KSHSAA state championships, an NCAA Division I championship, and an NBA championship.

High school career

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

As a freshman at the University of 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

Denver Nuggets (2022–present)

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 an NCAA and NBA championship in back-to-back seasons, alongside Bill Russell, Henry Bibby, Magic Johnson and Billy Thompson.^[2]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high
†	Won an NBA championship

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2022–23†	Denver	76	6	15.5	.495	.354	.625	2.4	.8	.5	.2	4.7
2023–24	Denver	82	4	20.2	.460	.384	.694	3.7	1.6	.5	.4	7.3
2024–25	Denver	79	77	33.9	.580	.397	.827	5.2	2.6	1.1	.5	15.4
Career		237	87	23.3	.528	.384	.752	3.8	1.7	.7	.4	9.2

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2023†	Denver	19	0	13.0	.533	.200	.579	2.1	.6	.6	.2	3.2
2024	Denver	12	0	17.0	.426	.222	.688	2.7	.8	.2	.4	5.1
2025	Denver	14	14	38.9	.453	.296	.710	6.4	2.4	1.2	.7	12.6
Career		45	14	22.1	.462	.273	.667	3.6	1.2	.7	.4	6.6

College

^[17]

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2019–20	Kansas	31	5	18.4	.431	.444	.731	2.9	.5	.7	.2	5.3
2020–21	Kansas	30	30	31.2	.380	.340	.786	5.2	1.9	1.2	.4	9.7
2021–22	Kansas	40	39	34.4	.495	.386	.733	6.5	2.8	1.0	.8	14.1
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.^[18] His uncle played college basketball at Missouri. His older brother, Parker, played at Kansas during the 2023-24 season. Braun's father Donny was a former walk-on at Kansas, while his mother, along with her older 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]