NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

May 31, 2023

Christian Braun

Denver Nuggets

Media Day

Q. Christian, last year you won an NCAA championship with my boy Remy Martin, a good friend of ours. What's it like pretty much within a 14, 15-month span, you're doing both, NBA and NCAA title?

CHRISTIAN BRAUN: Yeah, it's been great. Obviously to your point with Remy, he's a great dude, and winning with him was fun. Just these however last many months it's been, it's been a good experience. Got to learn a lot, got to win a lot. Obviously, this is the biggest goal, though, and we're close to getting there, but we've got a long ways to go.

Q. When you got here did you notice altitude, and is altitude a big deal?

CHRISTIAN BRAUN: I think it's a big deal for opposing teams especially. It's a big deal when you get here and getting used to it, but we've been here resting and waiting for enough days to get used to it, so I think it's a big deal for opposing teams to come in here and try to play at the pace we play for that long, especially in the Playoffs when guys are playing 45 minutes. It's hard for teams to keep up with our pace for that long.

Q. When you go to sea level, do you feel like you could run forever?

CHRISTIAN BRAUN: Well, in my time on the court, I try to be as high energy as possible, and especially in the Playoffs. It's not as long. Just try to have energy, and I don't think that stuff at this point of the year affects you as much.

Q. How much did your experience at KU prepare you for this level of basketball, and what's the transition been like?

CHRISTIAN BRAUN: Yeah, it's been smooth. I think the Nuggets have really let me be me, and that's a big part of it. But the transition is different. There's a lot of things that are different. Preparation is different. Then just stepping into a higher level of basketball is different.

I think KU obviously helps you as much as you could possibly be helped, and then being there for a couple extra years also helps, playing at a National Championship level also helps.

There's a lot of things that help you, but there's not much that can prepare you for this moment and these moments, but if there was a player that was prepared, I think it would be me.

Q. Have you talked to Coach Self over this playoff run?

CHRISTIAN BRAUN: Yeah, I've talked to him a little bit. He hasn't been able to get out here for a game yet, but my brother just committed there, to play his last year, so I've talked to him a little bit about that, too. He's a great guy, and I love him to death. He's done a lot for me, and I talk to him as much as I can.

Q. What can you learn from a guy like Jamal Murray, getting to watch him day in and day out?

CHRISTIAN BRAUN: Man, he's great. Like his dedication to his craft, how he's bounced back from injury, no excuses, no complaints, comes in here every day, come back at night, he's in here again. Just his dedication to his craft and just the way you've seen him overcome injuries and things like that, and he's not playing at a normal level. He's playing at the highest level, and probably better than he's ever been in his career.

Just to see a guy work that hard and then to be through what he's been through, it's great to see his success.

Me and him are pretty close. We talk a lot in the locker room. Just to see his success is great for me, and we all really enjoy it when he's playing well, and the Nuggets are at their best when Jamal is playing his best, so I really enjoy watching him play.

Q. Coming in here with a guy like Jokic, what's one thing you've learned from him off the court that a lot of people probably don't know?

CHRISTIAN BRAUN: Well, I think he said a couple quotes in the last couple weeks, just like how much his family means to him. So, off the court, he's a big family man. Obviously, his daughter is a big part of his life, his wife. Just the way he treats people off the court, the way he treats his family I think is something that everybody can take away from him. Just a great guy, a genuine guy, and a guy that's obviously great at basketball.

You can take a lot of things from him, but obviously those are things off the court you can definitely take from him is how caring, how genuine he is to the people around him.