Ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks , both teams have several ties to the Big 12 Conference. Starting with the head coach, Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics played point guard for the West Virginia Mountaineers from 2006-11.
Mazzulla helped WVU reach the 2010 Final Four. On the other hand, Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd is a member of the Big 12 Business Advisory Board.
The NBA Finals kicks off Thursday night on TNT at 8:30 p.m. EST.
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Both teams have two players who played their colleges careers for a Big 12 team, with Svi Mykhailiuk (Kansas) and Derrick White (Colorado) for Boston, and Markieff Morris (Kansas), as well as Josh Green (Arizona) for Dallas.
Mykhailiuk played in 136 games for the Jayhawks from 2014-18, averaging 8.7 points per game throughout his career. The All Big 12 Second Team player averaged 14.6 points his senior season.
In 34 games during the 2016-17 season with Colorado, White dropped 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists before being selected 29th overall to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 NBA Draft.
During three seasons with the Jayhawks, Morris was a defensive force before getting drafted No. 13 to the Phoenix Suns in the 2011 NBA Draft. He ranks 18th in school history for rebounds (662) and 17th in blocks (103).
In his lone season with Arizona, Green averaged 12 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 2016-17. The sharp-shooter knocked down 36.1% of his three-pointers with the Wildcats.
