Former Jayhawk Christian Braun ribs new Nuggets teammate Colin Gillespie about Final Four win

By Matt Tait     Jul 20, 2022

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One of the Denver Nuggets' selections from the NBA Draft, Christian Braun, looks over his jersey after being introduced to the media during a news conference Monday, June 27, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Former Kansas guard Christian Braun was solid in his debut with the Denver Nuggets’ Summer League team earlier this month after being selected by the team with the No. 21 overall pick in June’s NBA draft.

In addition to showing off his all-around game and the always-on approach that made him an all-Big 12 performer and national champion at Kansas, Braun’s impact extended to the bench, where he showed that he’s capable of talking a little trash from anywhere.

Intentionally held out of the Nuggets’ final Summer League game in Las Vegas, Braun and Summer League teammate Colin Gillespie — a former Villanova All-American — were both mic’d up by the Nuggets for the contest.

In addition to showing the type of intensity and passion on the bench that the two typically show on the court, Braun demonstrated just what bragging rights look like at the next level.

Late in the 90-second video posted to Twitter of their bench experience, Braun shifted abruptly from talking about a player who Gillespie once faced in college to their matchup in the Final Four in New Orleans a few months ago.

“Remember when you (were) about to go to the national championship game and then you went home, back to Philly,” Braun asked Gillespie with a slight grin surfacing on his face.

To his credit, Gillespie handled the exchange like a champ, saying simply, “It’s fine; I already had one.”

The entire video is worth the watch, mostly because almost every mic’d up situation ever recorded has resulted in pure entertainment. But that particular exchange will likely be of the most interest for Kansas fans.

Braun and Gillespie, who joined the Nuggets as an undrafted free agent on draft night, started together during a handful of Summer League games for the Nuggets and it’s clear that the two became fast friends and productive players.

It remains to be seen how much more they’ll have the chance to play together with the Nuggets, but the chemistry is clearly there.

The Nuggets’ official team Twitter site even teased the potential for the two newest teammates to star in their own reality show. That won’t happen, but don’t be surprised if both players find a way to impact the Nuggets’ push for a championship in the years to come.

Braun is expected to compete to be a regular part of the Nuggets’ rotation next season. Gillespie, meanwhile, signed a two-way contract with the team and likely will split his time between Denver and Grand Rapids, Michigan, home of the Nuggets’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.

Overall, Braun averaged 11.8 points, 6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game for the Nuggets during his first Summer League stint.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.