Christian Braun’s mother was in attendance for Sunday’s Western Conference semifinals Game 4, and many viewers felt that ESPN leaned on her presence a little too much.
Lisa Braun, the mother of the Denver Nuggets wing, was shown on camera repeatedly during the Nuggets’ 92-87 loss to the Oklahoma City at Ball Arena in Denver, Co. on Sunday. It made sense that ESPN wanted to emphasize her presence on Mother’s Day, but viewers noted that the network cut to her virtually every time Braun did anything.
Christian Braun with a fantastic block that sets up a great #Nuggets defensive stop, then a few possessions later, a big fast break layup on the leakout…
— Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) May 11, 2025
On Mother's Day, his mom, in attendance, approves.#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/upiXlrK7V7
Some viewers felt that the focus was a little bit much, especially since there were moments where she was not even reacting to action on the court.
*Christian Braun does something*
— ☔️ (@klutchagent) May 11, 2025
ESPN cameras to his mom: pic.twitter.com/mqXqN8SpwX
the camera man assigned to Christian Braun’s mom pic.twitter.com/y0hgSyIo4R
— kell (@kellyonme) May 11, 2025
One of these camera guys absolutely LOVES Christian Braun’s mom…
— Gino Fornaro (@ginoliciousboss) May 11, 2025
To be fair to ESPN, Braun was a key presence for Denver in the loss. He scored 17 points and tallied three steals and a block in the losing effort.
Parents of athletes do go viral all the time, especially when their reactions are excited and wholesome. Braun’s mother was hardly doing anything wrong here, but to some, ESPN’s fixation on her was a little bit much.
