Image Source: AP
[Jolly Sports News] Magic Johnson may be a bit late to the party, but he’s still celebrating the moment.
On Wednesday, Johnson took to X to congratulate Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun for achieving the rare feat of winning both an NCAA and NBA championship in back-to-back years.
“I’m watching the Knicks vs Nuggets game and learned that Christian Braun has joined me in elite company as one of five basketball players to win a NCAA title and NBA title in back to back years! Congratulations to him,” Johnson wrote.
The only problem? This “news” is about two years old.
Braun won the NCAA championship with the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2021-2022 season before being drafted 21st overall by the Nuggets in 2022. He then became an NBA champion as a rookie with Denver in the 2022-2023 season.
Before going pro, Braun played three seasons at Kansas, and his championship pedigree extends even further—he also won three state titles in high school.
Braun now joins an exclusive list of players who have won an NCAA and NBA title in consecutive years, alongside Magic himself, Bill Russell, Henry Bibby, and Billy Thompson.
It’s such a cool stat that we can probably let Magic slide for only now realizing it—better late than never!
