For this tight-knit basketball brood representing the Nuggets and Roadrunners, it’s family first

It’s wild to think that Christian and Landon Braun, two tightly bonded basketball brothers from Burlington, Kan., play their home games about 1,000 feet apart in Denver.

Landon is a redshirt freshman in his second year with the Metropolitan State University-Denver Roadrunners, who play their games on the Auraria campus a stone’s throw from Ball Arena.

And in case you didn’t already know, Landon sweetly offers up: “My brother plays for the Nuggets.”

He certainly does. As my two Christian Braun jerseys will attest.

Landon and his teammates attended a special SeriesFest screening Wednesday of “Soul Power,” a new streaming series on the history of the American Basketball Association and the four teams that were absorbed into the NBA after seven magical hoops seasons. Including the Nuggets, who count Landon as among their biggest fans. The Nuggets bought 30 tickets to the screening and gave them to the Metro State men’s basketball team. 

“I’ve been here in Denver for two years now, and I’ve been to probably 80 Nuggets games in that time,” said Braun. “So, for sure, it means a lot for us to be invited here tonight. Obviously, basketball has been our whole lives the entire time we’ve been here. I know first-hand how much the city loves basketball, and it’s nice to see the support for it here.”

Christian’s rising place in the Nuggets family, he said, was “definitely” part of his decision to come here and continue his college career at Metro.

“I was looking for someplace I would enjoy every day. Where I could wake up and be motivated to play,” said Landon, a 6-foot-6 guard/forward who has played in nine games for the Roadrunners. “And it partially had to do with the winning tradition at Metro. I knew the coaches, and I knew what the players were about. So it was a pretty easy decision to come into a program where you knew they were taking it seriously.”

But in the Braun family, it’s family first, full stop. His dad, Donnie, famously played basketball at Kansas, and his mother, Lisa, famously played at Missouri. Brother Parker was on the Nuggets’ Summer League roster in 2024, appearing in two games. The family nucleus is 600 miles away, but that’s comparatively close in NBA miles.

“Obviously, Christian being out here is amazing,” Landon said. “I was living with him for a little bit. He’s very supportive. He’s just one of the best people in my life.”

Which makes it pretty sweet that Landon can pretty much see his brother’s workplace from just about anywhere on campus. “There have been some games where I’ll literally take my jersey off and go run across the street to watch him play, which, I gotta say, is pretty cool,” he said.

“There was a time when all three brothers were playing in different states at once, so it’s great to have two of us in the same city now. My parents plan their trips according to when we’re playing here at the same time, and they get out here as much as they can, which is great. We’re big on family in the Braun House. It’s pretty hard for us to be apart.”

Landon was looking forward to seeing “Soul Power” and learning more about the roots of basketball in Denver with the ABA, which was responsible for bringing the 3-point shot into the NBA. His name is Landon “Trey” Braun, after all. It would be awesome to tell you that a 3-shot was somehow connected to the origin of his middle name. But, alas …

“I’m the youngest of three,” he said.