Carl Braun (basketball)


Carl August Braun Jr. was an American professional basketball and baseball player and professional basketball coach.

Life and career

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Braun played collegiately for the Colgate University Raiders from 1945 to 1947. He briefly pitched in the New York Yankees minor league system before a sore shoulder ended his baseball career. He joined the Knicks in the 1947-1948 NBA season.
Braun was one of the premier guards of the 1950s and spent 13 seasons in the NBA, all but the last with the New York Knicks. Braun led the Knicks in scoring during his first seven seasons. He did not play during the 1950-1951 or 1951-1952 seasons due to military service. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1948 and 1954. On December 6, 1947, he set a then NBA single game scoring record, recording 47 points. He ended his career in 1962, after one season with the Boston Celtics. Braun played in five NBA All-Star Games and scored 10,625 points in his professional career. Braun was a player-coach for the Knicks in 1960 and 1961 as well, compiling a 40–87 head coaching record.
Carl Braun is featured in the 1948 Bowman set of basketball cards, the 1957 Topps set, and the 1961 Fleer set. Though sportscaster Marty Glickman made the term "swish" a popular basketball colloquialism, he attributed the genesis of the word to Braun, who he heard say it following a good shot during warmup. Glickman used the term frequently in broadcasts throughout the 1950s. Braun was elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

BAA/NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs