Christian Braun: "Coach Self is the greatest coach to do it."
Before being eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals last month, Christian Braun had tasted nothing but success in his previous two postseason runs. After helping Kansas win its second National Championship under Bull Self, Braun played a role in the Denver Nuggets winning a World Championship in his rookie season.
Braun, following his rookie season, returned home a World Champion and, shortly thereafter, conducted his first youth basketball camp at Drive5. While the name of the location has changed, Braun is back in Overland Park, Kan., conducting his youth basketball camp.
Bruan, after a short period of time, took a break from the action to talk about his decision to bring back his youth camp.
“A lot of people in this gym mean a lot to me,” Christian Braun told JayhawkSlant.com on Tuesday afternoon. “I’ve seen a lot of these kids grow up at Coach (Ed) Fritz’s camps, so a lot of people in this room have done a lot of things for me. It means more to me to just come back and help out.
“Hopefully, I inspire somebody,” he added. “Hopefully, one of that guys that’s working the camp, I get to help them out, too. A lot of people in this room mean the world to me and they’ve helped me along my journey.”
A year ago, Braun arrived at his first youth basketball camp as a World Champion. He was hoping to stake that claim again this season, but the Denver Nuggets were eliminated in game No. 7 of the Western Conference semifinals by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Braun, standing off to the side of the main court at Radiant Church, talked about how tough this past season was, especially how the season ended for Denver.
“It was tough, especially after the loss,” said Braun. “That’s not something I felt, you know, in a long time, or something I ever wanted to feel. You’ve got to understand that you’re going to lose, but I just thought this year we had an amazing chance to go back-to-back.
“You don’t get many chances like this to go back-to-back, especially when your team is healthy,” he added. “I wanted to capitalize on that opportunity and we didn’t do it, so that obviously hurts. We’ve got next year to bounce back, be better next year, and win it next year. I understand there are more opportunities, but it definitely stings when you think that you’re the best team in the league and it doesn’t happen your way.”
Since the end of his second NBA season, Braun has had the opportunity to not only conduct his second youth camp but he’s taken the time to make his way to Lawrence on a number of occasions. Whether attending Coach Bill Self’s basketball camp or participating in the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic, Braun has been extremely visible back in a place he once called home for a period of time.
“Like I said, same way with Coach Fritz, I respect Coach Self a lot,” said Braun. “He’s done a lot for me. Everybody at Kansas has done so much for me and been so involved in my life, so I’m very appreciative and grateful for Coach Self, Coach Fritz, all the KU fans, and for all these kids for coming out.
“Just being back in Kansas City, obviously, the support and love has been so good,” he added.
Kansas, since defeating North Carolina in the National Championship game during the 2021-22 season, hasn’t had much success in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the Jayhawks have just two NCAA Tournament wins since defeating the Tar Heels in New Orleans.
Braun, with the roster that Self has assembled in the offseason, believes the 2024-25 squad has a chance to achieve something special.
“I've talked to a couple of them,” he said. “Obviously, I know Juan (Dajuan Harris, Jr.) really well. Juan knows how to win, so I know he’ll get them where they need to be. Coach Self, obviously, is the greatest coach to do it, so he’ll have them ready. I’ve talked to Rylan Griffen and I like Rylan Griffen a lot.
“I think they’ve got a special group and they’ve got a lot of good players,” he added. “AJ (Storr) is really good and Zeke (Mayo) is really good, so they’ve got a lot of guys coming in that are really talented. They’ve just got to come together, and they will. As long as Coach Self is involved, they’re in good hands. You won’t be able to hold Coach Self out of the Final Four for too much longer, so I think this will be the year.”
During his career at Kansas, not many, if any at all, played with as much fire and passion more than Christian Braun. Growing up in a home that was truly divided, Bruan, for as long as he can remember, was as loyal and passionate about the Crimson and Blue.
Being that several family members played college basketball at Missouri, including his mother (Lisa) and brother (Parker, who spent his final season of college basketball playing at Kansas) the battles between the Jayhawks and Tigers were as intense as you’d expect in the Braun household.
When Bill Self provided Braun with the opportunity to play at Kansas, it was simply the opportunity of a lifetime and, without question, a dream come true.
However, an argument can be made that Braun, who played a significant role in Kansas winning its second National Championship under Bill Self, might not be the biggest fan of the Jayhawks in his family.
That title might very well belong to his father, Donald Braun. How big of a Kansas fan is Christian’s father? Well, he once tried to convince his son to bypass the NBA and return to Kansas for his senior year.
“Oh, my goodness,” he said with a smile. “I tell everybody that he is a KU guy through and through. You know, he took us to all of the KU games growing up, but he wanted me to come back for my senior year. Like, he still does. He tells me all that time, ‘Man, I wish you would have returned for your senior year.’”
“When I was deciding whether I wanted to leave or stay, you know, he was the only person telling me to stay,” he added. “So, he’s definitely a Jayhawk fan. He’s very supportive and I’m very grateful for that.”