WATCH: Former Hoosier Thomas Bryant Celebrates NBA Finals Victory With Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals last night, giving former Indiana Hoosiers' center Thomas Bryant his first NBA championship.

Former Indiana Hoosier Thomas Bryant became an NBA champion on Monday night when the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 94-89 in Game 5.

A video from the Nuggets' locker room after the win showed Bryant soaking it all in.

"Man, this feels amazing," Bryant told Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points during the Nuggets' postgame celebration. "Going from L.A., coming to Denver, being a team player, this is what it's all about right here. Winning this championship, popping this champagne with your teammates, celebrating this, actually really saying that you're a champ right now. I'm a champ. Champ. What up champ? What's good champ? Oh, what up champ?

Bryant began the 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he started 25 games and averaged 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds. The 6-foot-10, 25-year-old center was traded to the Nuggets in February, and his role decreased. 

Playing behind two-time MVP center Nikola Jokic, Bryant appeared in 19 games with one start for the Nuggets, averaging 4.6 points and 3.3 rebounds. He played one game during the Denver's playoff run, checking in during the final minute of the Nuggets' Game 3 win over the Heat in the Finals.

Bryant played two seasons at Indiana from 2015-2017 under former Hoosiers' coach Tom Crean. Bryant averaged 12.2 points 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 assists across two seasons. He earned Big Ten All-Freshman team honors during the 2015-16 season, helping Indiana win its most recent Big Ten regular season title and make its most recent Sweet 16 appearance.

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