🏀 Jayhawk Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk Wins NBA Title
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Former Kansas guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk became the 16th Jayhawk to win an NBA title when the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night to win the 2024 NBA Finals, 4-1.
A rookie in 2018-19, Mykhailiuk was a second-round selection, the 47th overall pick, in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cherkasy, Ukraine, 27-year-old completed his sixth season in the NBA in 2023-24 and his first with the Celtics. Before joining the Celtics, Mykhailiuk had NBA stops with the Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets. This past season, Mykhailiuk played in 41 regular-season games and averaged 10.1 minutes and 4.0 points. He appeared in eight playoff games in 2024, including three in the finals against Dallas.
Boston was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after going 64-18 in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated Miami (4-1), Cleveland (4-1) and Indiana (4-0) to reach the NBA Finals. The series win over Dallas allowed Boston to claim its 18th NBA Championship, the most all-time, and its first since 2008. The 2008 Boston team featured Jayhawks Paul Pierce and Scot Pollard.
Mykhailiuk played four seasons from 2014-15 to 2017-18 and was a two-year starter for KU his junior and senior seasons. He was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection in 2018. He broke the Kansas single-season record for 3-point field goals made with 115 in 2017-18. Mykhailiuk was also a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and was second on the KU team with a 14.6 scoring average his senior season. Mykhailiuk currently ranks No. 5 on the Kansas 3-point field goals made list at 237, No. 6 on the 3-point field goals attempted list at 579 and No. 43 in scoring with 1,181 points.
With the addition of Mykhailiuk, there have been 16 Jayhawks who have won 21 NBA titles during their professional careers. Mykhailiuk becomes the eighth Jayhawk under head coach Bill Self to win an NBA title. He joins Wayne Simien (2006), Mario Chalmers (2012, 2013), Brandon Rush (2015), Sasha Kaun (2016), Markieff Morris (2020), Andrew Wiggins (2022) and Christian Braun (2023).
KU legends Wilt Chamberlain (1972), Jo Jo White (1976) and Pierce (2008) were Jayhawks who were also named NBA Finals Most Valuable Players.
NBA Champion Jayhawks (*Finals Most Valuable Player)
Clyde Lovellette (1950-52 at KU)
1954 – Minneapolis Lakers
1963, 1964 – Boston Celtics
Maurice King (1955-57 at KU)
1960 – Boston Celtics
Wilt Chamberlain (1957-58 at KU)
1967 – Philadelphia 76ers
*1972 – L.A. Lakers
Jo Jo White (1966-69 at KU)
1974, *1976 – Boston Celtics
Bill Bridges (1959-61 at KU)
1975 – Golden State Warriors
Wayne Simien (2002-05 at KU)
2006 – Miami Heat
Jacque Vaughn (1994-97 at KU)
2007 – San Antonio Spurs
Paul Pierce (1996-98 at KU)
*2008 – Boston Celtics
Scot Pollard (1994-97 at KU)
2008 – Boston Celtics
Mario Chalmers (2006-08 at KU)
2012, 2013 – Miami Heat
Brandon Rush (2006-08 at KU)
2015 – Golden State Warriors
Sasha Kaun (2005-08 at KU)
2016 – Cleveland Cavaliers
Markieff Morris (2009-11 at KU)
2020 – Los Angeles Lakers
Andrew Wiggins (2014 at KU)
2022 – Golden State Warriors
Christian Braun (2020-22 at KU)
2023 – Denver Nuggets
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (2015-18 at KU)
2024 – Boston Celtics
