A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is on the roster of a team playing in the NBA Finals.
Branden Carlson, who served in the England Manchester Mission, is a rookie center for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder currently trail the Indiana Pacers 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 scheduled for Friday evening.
Carlson, of South Jordan, Utah, has yet to play during the NBA playoffs but saw action in 32 games for Oklahoma City during the regular season. His best performance came in a win over New Orleans on April 13, when he played 39 minutes, scored 26 points and recorded 10 rebounds, three blocks and two assists.
The 7-foot, 220-pound Carlson signed with Oklahoma City in November 2024. He started his rookie season in the NBA G League with Raptors 905, the affiliate team of the Toronto Raptors.
Carlson, 25, had a standout collegiate career at the University of Utah, where he became the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots. Over 145 games, with 139 starts, the former all-Pac-12 center scored 1,874 career points, the fifth highest in program history. Additionally, he pulled down 842 rebounds as a Ute, with his 618 defensive rebounds placing him fourth in school history.
