Former Hurricanes Guard Bruce Brown Says ‘It Means a Lot’ to Return to Miami for NBA Finals

The Denver Nuggets’ trip to Miami for Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals marks a reunion for guard Bruce Brown, who played at the University of Miami from 2016-18.

This return to Miami is meaningful for Brown, who’s played at the Heat’s Kaseya Center once in his basketball career: an 80-52 Hurricanes win over Princeton in the Hoophall Miami Invitational during Brown’s sophomore season at UM.

“It’s great. It means a lot,” Brown told reporters on Tuesday. “We actually were down in Pinecrest yesterday at Jeff Green’s house. He had a team dinner, and then we drove by UM. So it just brought back memories: me going to the McDonald’s across the street on US-1 and being in the CVS a lot, so it’s great to be back.”

As one of the most highly-touted recruits in Miami basketball history, Brown did not disappoint in his two seasons with the ‘Canes. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 54 games.

Brown was a perfect fit in head coach Jim Larrañaga’s system, which is geared towards guards. He remains a believer in his former head coach and is not surprised by the Hurricanes’ recent postseason success.

“Am I surprised? No. Coach L’s a great coach. He gets great players to come in. They all buy into his system, and they want to win. He gets winners to come in and play extremely hard, so it’s not surprising,” Brown said. “Each year I think their goal is to win a national championship. They have the players to do that, so I can’t wait till next year starts.”

Brown’s been solid so far in his first NBA Finals. He’s averaged 10.5 points, five rebounds and 1.5 assists through the first two games. Brown will remain a key contributor to the Nuggets’ quest for their first-ever title.