Nuggets' Christian Braun joins short list of consecutive NCAA and NBA title winners - ESPN

One of the breakout stars of this year's NBA Finals has been Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun. Braun's role increased as the Finals went on — his 24 minutes logged in Denver's decisive Game 5 win were the most he played in any postseason game. The rookie gained plaudits for his energetic play off the bench, including a 15-point outburst to help the Nuggets take home Game 4 on the road.

With the win, Braun, joined an exclusive club. Only four other players have won an NCAA and NBA title in back-to-back years, a feat Braun achieved after winning the 2022 NCAA tournament with the Kansas Jayhawks. Here's a look at those four players and their resumes:

Bill Russell

San Francisco Dons 1956, Boston Celtics 1957

Russell entered the league on the back of a dominant run of back-to-back titles with San Francisco (including being named the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 1955 and UPI college basketball Player of the Year in 1956). Russell was all but unstoppable, averaging over 20 points and 20 rebounds in his two championship seasons with the Dons. Drafted by the Celtics as part of a legendary 1956 draft class for Boston, Russell didn't take long establishing himself in the league. Russell averaged a remarkable 24.4 rebounds for the Celtics in the 1957 postseason, as Boston dispatched the St. Louis Hawks in seven games.

Henry Bibby

UCLA Bruins 1972, New York Knicks 1973

No player on this list had a more impressive run to the NBA than Bibby, who entered on the back of three consecutive titles with UCLA. Helping lead a stacked Bruins squad, Bibby started the first 45 games of what would eventually become an 88-game win streak. Drafted in the fourth round by the Knicks, Bibby didn't have an outsized role on New